Trump says Ariz. speech is on:
After days of mixed messages about whether GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump would come to Arizona to speak this week, and about what, the candidate said Sunday that he’ll be here Wednesday to talk immigration.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that he plans to deliver a speech on illegal immigration in Phoenix on Wednesday, apparently resolving conflicting messages from his campaign over whether Trump would stop in Arizona this week and the nature of the visit.
“I will be making a major speech on ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION on Wednesday in the GREAT State of Arizona,” Trump posted on Twitter Sunday afternoon. “Big crowds, looking for a larger venue.”
Details of the event’s location were not immediately available.
Trump’s scheduled appearance comes as questions about his stance on illegal immigration have deepened after he said he was open to “softening” his policies toward undocumented immigrants — a frequent target of his rhetoric.
His choice of Arizona as a backdrop is notable given that the state’s immigration-policy skirmishes in recent years have clearly influenced Trump’s positions.
Trump’s Sunday tweet follows days of conflicting messages about a Phoenix campaign stop.
Last week, his campaign issued contradictory messages about whether Trump would return to the state for a fifth campaign stop and the purpose of the visit.
On Wednesday, Trump event planners said the business mogul would deliver a much-anticipated speech on immigration at a downtown Phoenix hotel to more fully lay out his policy agenda, but walked that back within hours. Trump’s Arizona chief said the speech would focus on “post-primary unity.”
On Friday, the chief said the event was going to be scrapped altogether. But within less than two hours, Trump tweeted his intent to travel to Phoenix.
“Will be in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday,” Trump tweeted. “Changing venue to much larger one. Demand is unreal. Polls looking great!”
Brian Seitchik, Trump’s Arizona state director, who had confirmed cancellation of the event Friday afternoon, did not respond to calls to clarify, leaving it unresolved until Trump tweeted on Sunday afternoon his plans to speak in Phoenix.