A presidential campaign rally in Alabama is expected to Trump them all.
Dixie denizens eager to see surging GOP front-runner Donald Trump in person have been scrambling to snag free tickets to his rally Friday evening in Mobile in what’s likely to be the largest primary campaign event so far.
“It’s going to end up at 30- to 40,000 people in Alabama,” he predicted.
Mobile’s entire population is under 200,000.
Trump’s team has had to move the pep rally and town-hall meeting twice already after demand for tickets exceeded the seating capacity of the Mobile Civic Center, which can hold 14,000 people.
Trump eventually settled on the 50,000-seat Ladd-Peebles Stadium, home of the University of South Alabama football team, it was announced Thursday.
The largest crowd so far this year on the presidential campaign trail is the 28,000 people who came to see Democrat Bernie Sanders in Portland, Ore., this month.
“OKay Yall I got my ticket, it was free, but it’s worth going !!!!!!!!!!!!” wrote Ticsco Campbell on Twitter, one of many locals tweeting about the Trump rally.
One Mobile resident worried about the weather in the switch to an outdoor venue.
“Since we are now going to be outdoors for the Trump Rally I have to figure out something different to wear,” tweeted ticket-holder Kimberly Wright.
Trump’s campaign said it had no Plan B in the event of rain.
Before reaching Alabama, The Donald continued to dominate the airwaves.
In an interview with CNN newsman Chris Cuomo Wednesday, Trump addressed Pope Francis’ comments last month in Bolivia that criticized the pursuit of capitalism while allegedly exploiting poorer nations.
Trump defended the capitalist system in general and said he would try to convince Francis of its merits if the two ever met.
“I’d say ISIS wants to get you,” Trump said. “You know that ISIS wants to go in and take over the Vatican? You have heard that. You know, that’s a dream of theirs, to go into Italy.”
“He talks to you about capitalism, you scare the pope?” Cuomo asked.
“I’m gonna have to scare the pope because it’s the only thing,” Trump said.
“The pope, I hope, can only be scared by God. But the truth is — you know, if you look at what’s going on — they better hope that capitalism works, because it’s the only thing we have right now.
“And it’s a great thing when it works properly.”
Trump said he has great respect for the ponitff.
“He’s becoming very political, there’s no question about it. But I like him. He seems like a pretty good guy,” Trump said.