Less than 24 hours before Donald Trump arrives in Wildwood for his Saturday beach rally, supporters have already begun lining the boardwalk for an event expected to draw thousands to the New Jersey shore.
The rally will take place on a section of the beach near the 3601 Boardwalk between Moray’s Pier and Adventure Pier. Ticket holders can enter between 12pm and 1:30pm on Saturday.
People began lining the boardwalk as early as Thursday for a chance to see the Republican presidential nominee for November’s general election. It is not yet clear how many people will attend, but local officials estimate that up to 40,000 people could be at the venue.
Many on the boardwalk wore Trump t-shirts and hats, and many supporters carried Trump-themed flags high above the boardwalk.
A few people who lined up on a cold and cloudy Friday afternoon came from various parts of the Garden State, while others traveled from other states as far as Tennessee.
Corey Adams was the first supporter to arrive on Thursday. After packing up his car and trekking 10 hours from Mansfield, Ohio, to the Jersey Shore town, the 22-year-old formed a line that eventually grew to about 50 to 100 people by late Thursday.
“I believe Trump can save the country,” Adams told NJ Advance Media, sitting in a beach chair in front of Moray’s Pier, covered in a blanket and sweatshirt.
With a hotel room nearby, Mark Bellini prepared to join the ranks. Sitting on a beach chair in the wind and rain Friday afternoon, the 63-year-old Brick resident said he’s got a hotel nearby and has been shuttling back and forth between his room and his spot on the boardwalk for the past two days.
“He tells it how it is,” Bellini said from his beach chair, warm in a red Trump sweatshirt.
Bellini’s public support for Trump included eight other rallies and he was among the crowds outside the New York City courthouse where the former president’s ongoing hush-money trial is pending.
“I don’t mind camping,” he said.
The Republican presidential hopeful’s campaign paid $54,200 to the city of Wildwood, according to records obtained by NJ Advance Media.
It was Trump’s second rally in the popular beach town. The first event was in January 2020, when he spoke to about 7,000 supporters inside the Wildwood Convention Center.
The city said Thursday it has temporarily suspended issuing business licenses to prevent businessmen from continuing to tour with Trump. Mayor Ernie Troiano said the goal is to prevent price gouging during the rally and protect the resort town’s tax-paying businesses.
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Nicholas Fernandez can be reached [email protected].
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