Trump supporters line up 24 hours ahead of Toyota Center rally

Ticket requests to attend President Donald Trump’s Oct. 22 rally in Houston, Texas, exceeded over 100,000, his reelection campaign announced. In order to entertain the crowds, the Donald J. Trump for President campaign said in a statement that it will be organizing a “Big Texas Tailgater” for the afternoon in the lead up to the Make American Great Again, or MAGA, rally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. The tailgate party will feature a range of entertainment including food trucks, live music from the Marcus Eldridge band and Will Carter Band, appearances from Trump campaign spokespeople, and more, according to the campaign. “Texas is big, and so will be the turnout for our MAGA rally in Houston, Texas, Monday,” said Michael Glassner the campaign’s chief operating officer. “That’s why we’ve organized the Donald Trump—Big Texas Tailgater outside the Toyota Center. We’ll have great food, live music, big screens, and a great time for all of our guests. Inside and out, the excitement at this Trump rally will be as big as Texas—it’s going to be epic.” In the week before the Texas rally, Trump was busy campaigning in a three-day “Western swing” blitz. His schedule that week included stops at three important battleground states including Montana on Oct. 18, Arizona on Oct. 19, and finally Nevada on Oct. 20. Brad Parscale, Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign manager, said the tailgate party was the first of its kind. “Incredible numbers for #HoustonRally. 100,000+ RSVPs. I have flown in early and my great team is setting up the first ever TAILGATER for outside. So everyone come, room for everyone. Come see @realDonaldTrump inside or out!” he wrote on Twitter. Trump is ramping up the frequency of his MAGA rallies in the lead up to the Nov. 6 midterm elections. He hopes to maintain and expand slim Republican majorities in both the Senate and House by galvanizing his voter base.