President Donald Trump spoke at Turning Point USA event in Phoenix

PHOENIX – President Donald Trump arrived in Phoenix on April 17 to speak at an event hosted by Turning Point USA.

The backstory:

On March 31, we reported that Trump is expected to speak at the “Build The Red Wall” event, which is scheduled to take place at Dream City Church.

Doors opened at 9 a.m. MST, with the event starting at 12 p.m.

The event’s website lists Trump, along with Erika Kirk, Reps. Andy Biggs, Eli Crane, Abe Hamadeh, Paul Gosar, and Juan Ciscomani as speakers.

Erika’s appearance at the event marked the first such appearance since she skipped a TPUSA event in Athens, Georgia on April 14. According to Vice President JD Vance, Kirk opted out of the event due to safety concerns.

The other side:

Groups both for and against Donald Trump rallied outside the church where the event took place. Both sides were present all day, and some of them even clashed.

“We’re here to get our democracy back,” said Annie Naroda, who was protesting against Trump. “We’re here to get people to the polls in November and vote for the Democrats.”

Meanwhile, some of the Trump supporters we talked to say they are reaffirming their support for him and what he has done for the country.

“If we could get more of them to see what it’s really like behind those doors, I think we can change some of their minds because it’s not what they believe it is,” said Ruben Bugayong.

FOX 10 received a statement from East Valley Unite, which says, in part: “The key reason we are protesting is to make clear that Donald Trump is not welcome in Arizona. We don’t want him to have a large, successful event, with no opposition, because that would indicate that he is well-received in our state, which is not the case.”

East Valley Unite’s statement on President Donald Trump’s visit to Phoenix.

Big picture view:

The event is taking place at a time when polls show softening support for Trump.

President Donald Trump is in Arizona on April 17 to speak at Turning Point USA’s “Build the Red Wall” event in north Phoenix.

According to the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll numbers from March 19, 38% of those surveyed approve of Trump’s job performance, while 60% disapprove.

The same poll, which was taken just weeks after the start of Operation Epic Fury against Iran, shows that 64% of those surveyed disapproved of Trump’s handling of foreign policy.

Map of Dream City Church: