Former President Donald Trump will bring his campaign for the White House to Erie.
A rally is planned for next Saturday, July 29 at the Erie Insurance Arena.
It will be Trump’s third stop in Erie.
We spoke to local leaders on both sides of the aisle about what this means for an election more than 15 months away.
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The official Donald Trump for President 2024 website states:
“The 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, to hold a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania”.
Erie County Republican Chairman Tom Eddy said it’s an honor to have Trump return to Erie.
“For him and his campaign to select us to come and see really means something, and what it really means, in my opinion, is that Erie County has always been a flagship county in the state of PA and also in the nation,” said Erie County Republican Chairman Tom Eddy.
Donald Trump will rally in Erie on July 29
Eddy said Trump hasn’t been to either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia yet.
“But he came to Erie, and I think he’s looking at the fact that if he can sell his message in Erie County he can, again he has to go through the primary, but if he can sell his message in Erie, that message sells, that message will sell to the rest of the state,” Eddy explained.
The Democratic chairman of Erie County has a different view.
“Well, I’m sure the local Republican leadership and the MAGA base here in Erie will be excited about this, but I think most of the Erie community wants to move on from this political period,” said Jim Wertz, chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party.
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Wertz added to the importance of Erie in the national political equation.
“The president has been to Pennsylvania many times since taking office, he was in Philadelphia earlier this week and once the campaign is up and running officially, I expect we’ll see and get a lot of attention from the Biden campaign,” Wertz said.
Trump previously held a rally in October 2020 while serving as president during his unsuccessful bid for re-election.
