Almost a dozen people in Arizona were hospitalized this past Thursday for heat-related symptoms while attending Donald Trump’s presidential campaign rally in Phoenix. Trump’s supporters had awaited the former President’s arrival in 102-degree heat, which led to many being taken away on stretchers. The recent Pheonix rally of the presumptive Republican nominee is Trump’s first time back on the campaign trail since the former President was convicted guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business documents in his recent business fraud trial in Manhattan.
The battleground state rally was held at the Dream City Church in north Phoenix and was hosted by the conservative non-profit organization Turning Point USA. The town hall event was initially scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. MST, however, reports claim that many Trump supporters gathered outside the venue several hours before. Local media outlet The Arizona Republic reported that by 10 a.m. temperatures had already reached 96 degrees. The outlet also reports that a woman collapsed while standing in line right before the event had opened its doors.
Updates of the rally began to pop up on X, formerly known as Twitter, around 12:30 p.m. KNXV reporter Ben Brown shared a video to the social media platform at that time of some supporters trying their best to cool off a fellow supporter who was seen lying down in a shaded area. About an hour later, Brown captured footage of the Phoenix Fire Department administering a liquid IV to another rallygoer struggling to withstand the intense heat. Following his footage, Brown posted yet another update to X, stating that he had seen at least 3 people being carried away on stretchers while awaiting the venue to open. At that point, Brown stated that the temperature had reached 102 degrees.
A Pheonix Fire Department spokesperson told news outlet Newsweek that the department’s personnel had transported a total of 11 rally attendees to the hospital.
