Donald Trump will be holding a rally at the Butler County Farm Show grounds this Saturday — just days before he is set to be crowned as the Republican nominee in Milwaukee.
Doors for Trump's appearance are set to open at 1 p.m. Saturday; Trump himself is scheduled to speak at 5 p.m.
Trump's visit is his first to Western Pennsylvania since the 2024 campaign got underway, though he has previously made campaign stops in the eastern part of the state. And his appearance comes at a propitious moment for his campaign: His June 27 debate with a struggling President Joe Biden has left Democrats deeply divided about Biden's ability to campaign effectively. Polls taken since the debate in Pennsylvania — a critical swing state — show Trump's lead expanding from the low single digits to margins of 5 to 7 points.
Democrats, meanwhile, apparently hope to divert some of the attention with a visitor of their own. First Lady Jill Biden, a frequent visitor to the area, will be in the Pittsburgh area Saturday afternoon as well.
Trump's rally comes just two days before next week's Republican National Convention takes place in Milwaukee, a fact that has led some to speculate that he will announce a choice for vice president during the event. But there's been little indication of such a reveal from the Trump campaign itself.
Some of Trump's earlier stops have taken place in Democratic bastions like Philadelphia, but Butler County is friendly territory: He won it by margins of roughly two-to-one in both the 2020 and the 2016 elections.
