Trump planning return to Arizona
President will visit in days after primary vote
President Donald Trump is planning a trip to Arizona in the days after Tuesday’s primary election to rally support for the Republican nominee in the U.S. Senate race and possibly GOP candidates down the ballot.
A venue for a potential visit has not been set, but conversations about a presidential trip have been in the works for weeks.
The timing of a potential visit was unclear, but people familiar with preliminary discussions indicated it would occur after Tuesday’s primary election.
Officials for the Trump campaign and the White House did not respond to The Arizona Republic’s requests for comment about a potential trip.
Across the country, Trump is aiming to help Republicans defend their majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in what is shaping up to be a harsh climate for Republicans in the midterm elections, when the president’s party historically loses seats in Congress.
The potential event has been described as a “unity” rally to help gird Arizona’s Republican Senate nominee for what could be a tough battle against U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who is widely expected to win the Democratic Senate nomination.
A post-primary appearance with Trump could give a boost to front-running Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, who has come under fire from some on the right as insufficiently conservative.
She is battling Kelli Ward, a former state senator, and Joe Arpaio, a former Maricopa County sheriff, for the GOP nomination.
Maintaining Republican control of Capitol Hill is critical to the success of Trump’s agenda of building a border along the U.S.-Mexico border, healthcare reform, tariffs and trade, and more. With Democrats in control, Trump also could potentially face impeachment hearings.
Trump has not endorsed any of the three Republicans for his party’s nomination, but has been complimentary to all of them publicly.
The seat unexpectedly opened up last fall, when incumbent U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake announced he would not seek reelection, saying there was no longer a place for him in the Republican Party with Trump at the helm of the GOP.
A person familiar with the operations of the Trump campaign said in a written statement in late July that the president “likes all of the candidates in the race very much” and looks forward to supporting the Republican nominee in the general election.
Trump has said he will spend at least 40 days crisscrossing the country to bolster Republican’s chances in the midterms.
He will attend at least eight rallies by the end of September and 16 fundraisers in as many as 15 states.
White House officials have said Trump is considering traveling to North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Tennessee and elsewhere in the coming weeks.
Arizona had not been mentioned for a visit. But it would be unusual if Trump didn’t swing through metro Phoenix, where he became a familiar face during the 2016 presidential race.
During his first visit as president a year ago Wednesday, Trump headlined an event at the Phoenix Convention Center and touted his “America First” agenda.
The appearance drew protesters to downtown Phoenix, where police eventually used pepper spray and pepper balls to disperse the crowd in what became a chaotic scene.
Without mentioning their names, Trump also took shots at Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona, and Flake, who have repeatedly crossed him.
During that event, he signaled that a presidential pardon might be coming for Arpaio, who had been convicted of federal contempt of court stemming from a long-running racial-profiling lawsuit.
Trump pardoned Arpaio days later.