Trump to announce re-election bid in Orlando at Amway Center on June 18
ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - President Donald Trump is coming back to Orlando.
The president has a re-election campaign rally planned for June 18 in downtown Orlando at the Amway Center. FOX 35 confirmed with Mayor Buddy Dyer's office that the Trump campaign team signed an agreement to rent the Amway Center, for a cost of $145,000.
President Trump on Friday tweeted that he would use the event to officially launch his bid for a second presidential term and would be joined by First Lady Melania and Vice President Mike Pence.
"The enthusiasm and excitement is not just here in Central Florida, it's throughout the state and beyond and we're gonna see people traveling from all over to be part of this," said Randy Ross, the former chairman of the Orange County Trump Campaign.
Ross said he expects Central Florida will be an important part of President Trump's re-election strategy.
"I think it's a combination of a lot of different types of people graduating themselves here, whether they retire, etc. in our particular area," he said. "It is heavily Democrat, but other parts of the state, it is heavily Republican, so it kind of balances itself out."
A protest has already been planned for the event. According to the Facebook page for the "Resist Hate Rally Orlando," it will take place on June 18 at 5:00 p.m. The exact location is yet-to-be-determined.
"Donald Trump is holding a MAGA rally in Orlando. Let’s welcome him in the way we know best: by telling him that hate has no place here," the description for the event reads.
This would be the president's first campaign rally in Central Florida since February 2017. Trump kicked off his 2020 campaign less than a month after his inauguration. While he will make the announcement in Orlando, he has already been holding campaign-style events across the country, including a May 8 rally in Panama City Beach.
Trump won Florida during the 2016 election, capturing 49 percent of the vote, while Democrat Hillary Clinton received 47.8 percent. Along with wins in key Midwest states, the Florida victory helped send Trump to the White House.