PHOENIX — Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Phoenix on July 24 to attend a rally, marking his first visit to the state following his failed 2020 presidential reelection campaign, and where an audit regarding the 2020 election is being held.
The event, "Rally To Protect Our Elections," is being hosted by Turning Point Action, part of Turning Point USA, a political action nonprofit organization that supports the former president. The rally is scheduled to be held at Arizona Federal Theatre in downtown Phoenix.
Founder Charlie Kirk announced Trump's upcoming visit in a Twitter post on Friday.
"President Trump is coming to Arizona for his first post-presidency rally in America’s most important swing state," his tweet said.
Trump won the state of Arizona during the 2016 election but lost the state to Joe Biden by nearly 10,000 votes in the most recent election. He and other Republican leaders have falsely claimed that the election was stolen despite local, state and national leaders saying otherwise.
Arizona is also home to the state Senate's audit and recount of 2.1 million votes that were cast in Maricopa County during the 2020 election.
The audit began after Republican state senators alleged voter fraud and demanded a recount. This came after there were two previous audits by county election officials that found no evidence of widespread voter fraud or other issues.
Led by private group Cyber Ninjas, the audit has drawn criticism by those who say it’s partisan, undermines the 2020 election and contributes to baseless conspiracy theories.
The audit has drawn interest from Republican state lawmakers around the country who have visited the Phoenix Veterans Memorial Coliseum to observe the process, raising concerns that others may seek similar audits or continue to peddle the theory that the 2020 election was fraudulent.
Former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who is overseeing the audit recount, said the hand recount is nearly complete, but could not specify when that would happen. He said he is confident that it would be completed this month.
Those looking to attend the upcoming rally can register via the organization's website. Additional guests and speakers are said to be announced in the future.
