Politics

Trump Rallygoers Head For Exits Amid Nearly Three-Hour Delay

TICK TOCK

His appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast in Texas pushed things back. A lot.

Trump supporters
Carlos Barria/Reuters

Donald Trump was so late to a rally in Michigan on Friday night that many of his supporters had gone home by the time he arrived.

Trump, who had been filming an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast in Austin, Texas, earlier in the day, was aware of the delay in schedule, and had to tape a video message for the Traverse City, Michigan, crowd while en route.

“It‘s a Friday night, so we can sit around. We‘ll do an extra special job when we get there,” he said on his plane. “We‘re stepping on the gas, but it’s all about winning, and we had to spend some extra time with some people—lots of people, actually.”

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“We should land at around 10 p.m.,” Trump said in the video, which aired just before 8:30 p.m. local time. The listed time for Trump’s appearance had been 7:30 p.m.

Trump supporters
Supporters leave before Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for his campaign rally in Traverse City, Michigan, U.S., October 25, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Carlos Barria/REUTERS

Trump finally did show up—close to three hours later, at 10:20 p.m.

But, with temperatures dipping into the mid-forties at the outdoor venue, many chose not to hang around to see him.

Videos from reporters on the ground showed dozens of attendees leaving. And those scenes quickly became fodder for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, which has been ribbing Trump about his rallies for months.