Donald Trump – Courtesy: Shutterstock by Matt Smith
The Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump, was once again absent from the third Republican debate for the 2024 presidential contest, which was scheduled for Wednesday night in Miami.
Rather, just one hour before the GOP debate at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami started, at 7 p.m., Trump was scheduled to speak at Ted Hendricks Stadium at Henry Milander Park in Hialeah.
Trump said on Wednesday that he would not be attending the third GOP primary debate in Miami because of his significant lead in national and early state polling.
Additionally, it coincided with Ivanka Trump, Trump’s daughter, testifying in a civil trial in New York, where she was accused of manipulating her father’s wealth.
Given that 95 percent of Hialeah’s population self-identifies as Hispanic or Latino according to current census data, Trump’s event there seemed to be the ideal location to support Republican efforts to win the Latino vote.
A vital component of the extremely powerful Cuban-American and Hispanic community in South Florida is Hialeah.
Just outside Ted Hendricks Stadium, fans of the president spoke with a Local 10 News team about why they thought Trump should have held the event in Hialeah on a Wednesday.
“It is all strategic,” said Trump supporter Jill Vandusen. “They can’t compete with him.”
“He speaks for himself,” said Trump supporter Jacinda Smeltzer. “His rallies are good enough and we believe in him.”
The GOP debate on Wednesday night provided the Republican contenders one more opportunity to undermine Trump’s standing.
In the process of winning a landslide reelection last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis became the first Republican to win Miami-Dade County, which contains Hialeah.
More than half of the state’s Latino voters supported DeSantis for governor in 2022, according to AP VoteCast data. All of the candidates’ totals exceeded the 45 percent of Latinos who backed Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump’s most recent campaign coincides with the former president’s ongoing legal battles in many states, including charges related to election meddling.
Doors to the venue opened at 2 p.m., and parking and lines started at 8 a.m. Trump took the stage after guest speakers.
Around the park, there were street closures from nine in the morning until midnight.
Drivers were advised by the police and the City of Hialeah to look for detours and prepare for heavy traffic in the area.
Streets that were closed for Trump’s rally included:
• Palm Avenue from West 45th to West 49th Street
• East 45th Street between East 1st Avenue and Palm Avenue
• East 46th Street between East 1st Avenue and Palm Avenue
• East 47th Street between East 1st Avenue and Palm Avenue
• East 48th Street between East 1st Avenue and Palm Avenue
• West 45th Street between West 2nd Avenue and West 1st Avenue
• West 45th Place from West 1st Avenue to Palm Avenue
• A Designated Demonstration Zone will be located at Palm Avenue and 45th Street
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
