MOBILE, Ala. — President Donald Trump will return to Mobile next week for a midterm campaign rally at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center, bringing the president back to the Port City for the first time in nearly a decade and to the place where, by his own account, his political rise began.
The rally is set for Friday, Oct. 2, at the Mitchell Center, 5950 Old Shell Road, with the program scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The event is being hosted by Trump 47 Committee, Inc., which announced the rally Thursday night and is billing it as a midterm rally ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
The confirmation settles days of speculation. Earlier in the week, sources had described plans for a Trump visit as tentative, and the City of Mobile had declined to confirm that the president was coming.
Latest: What changed on Friday, Sept. 25
In the day after the announcement, organizers, party officials, law enforcement and candidates from both parties filled in many of the details. Here is a quick look at what is new:
- A smaller crowd: The Mitchell Center holds about 10,000 people, roughly a third of the estimated 30,000 who packed Ladd-Peebles Stadium for Trump’s first Mobile rally in 2015.
- Candidates on the program: The president is expected to campaign for U.S. Senate nominee Barry Moore and gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville. Former Congressman Jerry Carl says he will also have a role.
- Doors at 2 p.m.: Event details released Friday list doors opening at 2 p.m. for the 6 p.m. program. Tickets are free but must be reserved online in advance.
- Security: Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch says deputies will support the Secret Service and expects protesters.
- Homecoming goes on: The University of South Alabama says homecoming week events, including the Glass Pumpkin Patch sale that Friday morning, will continue as scheduled.
- A second stop: Trump will rally in Durant, Oklahoma, on Thursday, Oct. 1, the day before Mobile.
- Reactions: Republicans predicted the visit will lift turnout; Mobile County Democrats and the Democratic nominee in the 1st Congressional District said it will remind voters of their frustrations with the administration.
What attendees need to know
The event is free but ticketed, and organizers say an RSVP is required. Here are the key details released so far:
- Date: Friday, Oct. 2
- Location: Mitchell Center, University of South Alabama campus, 5950 Old Shell Road, Mobile
- Doors: 2 p.m., according to event details released Friday. The first Trump 47 Committee announcement listed 3:30 p.m., so attendees should confirm the time on their ticket confirmation.
- Program start: 6 p.m.
- Tickets: Free, reserved online in advance, with a limit of four tickets per signup.
- Capacity: About 10,000.
Presidential visits typically bring heavy security, road closures and traffic delays around the venue, and this one lands in the middle of South Alabama’s homecoming week. The university said logistics are being worked out to cause as little disruption as possible. Visitors should plan to arrive early and watch for announcements from the university and local law enforcement about parking, prohibited items and traffic patterns on and around Old Shell Road.
A smaller stage than 2015
The choice of venue means a much smaller crowd than Trump drew on his first trip to Mobile. About 30,000 people attended his August 2015 rally at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Mitchell Center, the university’s basketball arena, has room for roughly 10,000.
Stuart Lang, interim chairman of the Mobile County Republican Party, said the local party received confirmation of the visit late Thursday night.
“We’re just excited to have him. His impact will definitely be positive,” Lang said.
Lang said the rally will help Republican candidates up and down the ballot. “Everybody who’s running for Republican office in this state is going to be excited to have him here. It’s certainly going to be a boost for their campaign. He’s very popular in Alabama,” he said.
Why Mobile, and why now
Earlier this month, Trump said he would spend the final stretch before the midterms helping candidates in the most competitive races. “It’s all about 35 races,” he said at a Rose Garden dinner with Republican lawmakers. “I’m going to go to every one of those 35 places and we’re going to see if we can get everyone elected.” He also told candidates with comfortable leads not to ask him to campaign for them.
His first October stops, however, are in two of the most Republican states in the country. Trump will rally in Durant, Oklahoma, on Thursday, Oct. 1, where he is expected to campaign for Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Mazzei, before heading to Mobile on Friday.
A Republican National Committee spokesperson said the rally is part of a “barnstorm” that will include both Republican-friendly and battleground states before November. The RNC said Mobile was chosen to energize voters and boost turnout across Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, because the Mobile television market reaches into Pensacola, and as a nod to Trump’s 2015 and 2016 visits. The committee made a similar argument about Durant, which sits near the Texas border and the Dallas-Fort Worth media market.
“The President’s ability to engage with and activate low-propensity voters is unmatched. That’s why he’ll be barnstorming the country to activate the voters we need to win in November,” RNC spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre said, adding that more October rallies are coming.
Not everyone sees it that way. Conservative columnist Quin Hillyer called the location unusual. “Usually a president is going to places where it’s a very tight race,” he said. Hillyer pointed to Trump’s national polling, which has shown his approval rating around 39%, and suggested the president may be looking for a friendly crowd.
“His poll numbers are so bad with independents across the country that he’s worried maybe about not getting good reception anywhere else,” Hillyer said. “So, maybe it looks good for the national cameras, and maybe therefore good for Republican enthusiasm nationwide. I don’t think it actually has to do with Alabama races. I think it’s more big picture.”
National Democrats seized on the itinerary. “The political floor is falling out from underneath Trump and Congressional Republicans, forcing them to scramble to spend and campaign in deep red territory in the final weeks,” said Viet Shelton, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is not expected to attend the Mobile rally.
Candidates expected to join the president
According to the Trump 47 organization, the president is expected to campaign for two Trump-endorsed Alabama Republicans at the top of the ballot: U.S. Rep. Barry Moore of Enterprise, the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate, and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the nominee for governor.
Moore, who as a state legislator appeared at the 2015 Mobile rally, said Friday he “couldn’t be more excited” about the visit and predicted it would energize conservatives for the general election.
“Thanks to his administration, we are stopping the indoctrination of our children, standing strong on the world stage, and defeating the Radical Democrats. His rally will be the jet fuel we need to win big in Alabama,” Moore said in a statement.
In a separate social media post, Moore added: “President Trump knows how important it is to have rock-solid conservatives representing Alabama in Washington and Montgomery, and I’m happy to have him visit our state so close to this critical midterm election.”
Tuberville welcomed the visit in a brief social media post. His campaign did not offer further comment.
Other speakers are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Sheriff: Deputies will back up the Secret Service
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said his office is preparing to work alongside the Secret Service, the Mobile Police Department and other agencies. He said the office expects protesters and that could affect how deputies are deployed.
“I do expect, you know, there’ll be a group of protesters, and hopefully they’ll be peaceful if they choose to, to protest. So that may shift where the resources go. You know, typically we will supplement the Secret Service and in different areas, you know, whether that be protecting a doorway or a building or a dumpster,” Burch said.
Burch said exact assignments for deputies have not been finalized and could change at any time. He asked residents to report any threats against the president they see online. The sheriff said he plans to attend the rally and that some of his deputies are excited to be part of the event.
The Secret Service leads security planning for presidential events, with state and local agencies typically handling perimeter posts, traffic control and road closures around the venue.
University: Homecoming events will go on
The University of South Alabama said in a statement that the Republican National Committee reserved the Mitchell Center for what it described as a “private, ticketed event” featuring the president.
“The University extends a welcome to the President and all our guests visiting campus that weekend,” the statement reads.
The university referred additional questions about the event to the RNC. A university spokesperson said Friday that the rally will not disrupt homecoming, and that several events will continue as scheduled, including the annual USA Glass Pumpkin Patch sale on the morning of Oct. 2.
Bridge groundbreaking expected the same day
The rally is expected to coincide with a milestone for the region’s largest infrastructure project. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is expected to be in Mobile on Oct. 2 for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project.
Duffy recently announced a federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or TIFIA, loan of roughly $2.5 billion for the project, which is widely described as the largest infrastructure project in Alabama history. The loan is to be repaid with toll revenue.
Before the rally was officially announced, sources told reporters they expected a separate Trump rally on the same day as the groundbreaking and said security details had been preparing. Those sources also said the president would no longer hold outdoor events because of security concerns, which helps explain the choice of the indoor Mitchell Center rather than the open-air stadium settings of his earlier Mobile visits.
Carl said he hopes the president will talk about local issues during his remarks, including the bridge and Bayway project.
Where it all began: Trump’s history with Mobile
Mobile holds a special place in Trump’s political story. On Aug. 21, 2015, while he was still one of many candidates in a crowded Republican presidential primary field, Trump held his first stadium-style rally at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The event drew the largest crowd of his campaign up to that point, and the image of a packed stadium became a hallmark of his presidential campaigns. Then-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama appeared with him that night, an early boost from a sitting senator that Sessions later followed with a formal endorsement.
That rally also produced a notable political first. Then-state Rep. Barry Moore became the first elected official in the nation to endorse Trump at the event. Moore, after several terms in Congress, is now the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate and has highlighted that moment throughout his campaign.
Trump returned to Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Dec. 17, 2016, to close out his post-election “Thank You” tour after defeating Hillary Clinton. During that visit, he acknowledged Mobile’s role in launching his political ascent.
“This is our last rally, our last stop,” Trump said at the time. “This is where it all began. I just want to thank the people of Alabama and start by wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”
That 2016 visit drew some controversy locally after city officials removed a 50-foot cedar tree from the Public Safety Memorial Park to use as a backdrop for the rally.
A planned Trump rally at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in 2021 did not happen after the park’s commissioners declined to sign off on what they described as a “partisan political event.”
Trump has made several other appearances in Alabama in recent years. He attended the Alabama vs. Georgia football game in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 28, 2024, a little more than a month before the presidential election, watching from a luxury suite at Bryant-Denny Stadium. In May 2025, months into his second term, he visited Tuscaloosa again for an event kicking off the University of Alabama’s spring commencement, where he shared the stage with former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban.
Republicans on the ballot welcome the visit
The rally will take place in the political backyard of former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, the Mobile Republican who is seeking to return to Congress in the newly redrawn 1st Congressional District against Democratic challenger Clyde Jones Jr. of Daphne. Carl, who served in the U.S. House from 2021 to 2025, is widely favored in the race, which is rated solidly Republican.
Carl had publicly said there was a “very strong chance” Trump would come to Mobile before the event was confirmed.
“I know they’ve been looking, trying to figure out how to help us in South Alabama, whether it’s in Mobile, Montgomery, wherever it’s at,” Carl said in a radio interview earlier in the week. “Listening to the chatter, you would think that they’ve got it figured out when they’re coming in.”
After the announcement, Carl said the visit would energize the party’s base.
“As a Republican candidate, I’m so excited to have President Trump come in,” Carl said. “It’ll certainly help rally our Republican base for District 1 and District 2, and we’re just excited that he’d come in and spend some time with us.”
In a separate text statement, Carl called the visit “a huge opportunity” to excite GOP voters ahead of the midterm election.
“For POTUS to take time to come visit us here in South Alabama, it’s such an honor and just shows he does care for Alabama,” Carl said.
On Friday, Carl asked residents of all political stripes to give the president a warm welcome.
“The president of the United States is coming to our city. Let’s roll the red carpet and let’s show that southern hospitality, whether you like him or not, let’s show that southern hospitality and that love, because he’s our president. He’s our president. If it was Barack Obama, if it was if it was another president, we would do the same thing,” Carl said.
Carl said the president has told him privately how much he loves Alabama. “So, it just means a lot to me, knowing him the way I know him, that he would actually come here,” he said. In a social media post, Carl, whom Trump has endorsed, called it “a great honor” to have the president in the district. “President Trump has been here a couple of times before but let’s make this the best trip yet! Come out to hear directly from our President and show our support!” he wrote.
The visit also comes as Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques of Enterprise seeks to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures of Mobile in the closely watched 2nd Congressional District race, where both national parties are investing heavily.
John Wahl, the former Alabama Republican Party chairman who is the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor and received Trump’s endorsement in January, said he was excited to welcome the president back.
“This will be an incredible opportunity for Alabamians to hear directly from President Trump and be part of a truly historic event,” Wahl said Thursday night. In a social media post, he said he expects the rally “to be a great time in Mobile!”
“I think it’s very natural that he would host a rally here as he is gearing up for the midterm elections,” Wahl said in a separate interview.
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt also weighed in on social media: “Looking forward to welcoming you back to Sweet Home Alabama.”
Judy Barlow, fourth vice president of the National Federation of Republican Women, said energy is high among Republicans a week ahead of the visit.
The turnout question
The rally comes as some Alabama Republicans have voiced concern in recent weeks about apathy among GOP voters heading into November.
That worry has roots in this summer’s special primaries. Carl won the Republican nomination in an August special primary over two other Republican candidates, all of whom expressed concern about low turnout. Average turnout across the special primaries held in four congressional districts was about 5%.
Weekly-updated polling by YouGov shows Trump broadly unpopular among Alabamians as a whole, even though he carried the state with nearly 65% of the vote in 2024. Among people who voted in 2024, the same polling shows he remains popular.
Carl campaign spokesman Jack Burns said turnout will be higher in November than it was in August and that the president will “100% have a massive positive influence on voter turnout.”
“Trump is absolutely going to motivate voters to get out and vote. Trump loves Alabama and Alabama loves Trump,” Burns wrote in a text message.
Democrats respond
Clyde Jones Jr., the Democratic nominee in the 1st Congressional District, agreed that turnout is a concern but said he does not believe the president’s appearance will help Republicans.
“This administration has, they have really done nothing to help the everyday person,” Jones said in a phone interview Friday. “We all should be concerned about voter turnout. It’s been extremely low here in Alabama across the board.”
Ben Harris, chair of the Mobile County Democratic Party, said local Democrats will stay focused on their own campaigns, led by gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones, who has criticized the administration over fuel prices and affordability. Harris said he does not plan to attend the rally and will instead be out campaigning for Democratic candidates.
“Democrats are really focused and excited on what we’re bringing and not worried too much about what Donald Trump may say or do. You can never predict what he may say or do. We have a very strong ticket. Doug Jones at the top,” Harris said.
“I think it will remind people of just how deeply unpopular he is. Gas prices, fuel prices his presidency is really hurting people along the Gulf Coast. And I think this appearance will remind people of that,” Harris added.
The governor’s race backdrop
The rally could provide a boost to Tuberville, who faces Democrat Doug Jones on Nov. 3. Tuberville unseated Jones in the 2020 U.S. Senate race with Trump’s endorsement.
The announcement came one day after Jones, at a news conference in Mobile, said he would be willing to pay for Trump’s plane ticket to come to Alabama, arguing that the president’s approval ratings are among the lowest of any president in recent years. Trump nonetheless remains popular among many Alabama voters, and some polls continue to show his approval in the state in positive territory, even if it has diminished since the 2024 election.
Some national observers called the Mobile trip “a curious move in a deep-red state” at a time when Republicans are defending U.S. Senate seats in states such as Alaska and Texas, reasoning that Democrats have little chance of winning statewide office in Alabama. Jones and his supporters have argued the governor’s race is more competitive than it once appeared, while Tuberville has pointed to polling that shows him in the lead.
What comes next
Additional details about road closures, parking and other speakers are expected in the days leading up to the rally. Those planning to attend should reserve tickets in advance, monitor official announcements from the university and law enforcement, and allow plenty of time to reach the Mitchell Center on Oct. 2.
Election Day in Alabama is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Update: Old Shell Road businesses brace for rally day
Businesses along Old Shell Road near the Mitchell Center are weighing how the president’s visit could affect their day, with some hoping for extra customers and at least one planning to close early because of expected traffic.
Becky Lockwood, co-owner of South Nutrition, said parking and traffic will be a challenge but that she hopes the crowds bring in some extra business. “The parking lot could be very crowded,” Lockwood said, adding that some regular customers may not be able to get in. She said she hopes rally-goers who don’t mind parking will “visit us first before they see the president.”
At Jerusalem Cafe, owner Philip Abernathy said the timing could work in his favor. “At 6:00, the rally starts,” he said. “So hopefully all the traffic will be kind of die down by then. That’s when my dinner starts at seven. So hopefully we get a little bit early traffic, early diners.”
Johnny Train, owner of Pamper Nails, said he expects traffic to be heavy enough that he plans to close for half the day, possibly around 1 p.m., and said he believes authorities may close the stretch of Old Shell Road near the arena.
Road closure plans have not been formally announced. Anyone who lives, works or shops in the area should watch for official traffic advisories from the City of Mobile, the University of South Alabama and law enforcement.
Update: Party officials on turnout, issues
Judy Barlow, 4th vice president of the National Federation of Republican Women, said the party’s phones began ringing “off the hook” as soon as the rally was announced, with people asking how to get tickets. She said the rally gives “average, everyday, hardworking people” who could not attend the Republican Convention a chance to see the president in person. Barlow said most people she hears from are happy with the tax cuts, but that gas prices and the war with Iran are concerns. Above all, she said, the purpose of the rally is turnout: “We have to get the vote out.”
In a statement released by his office, Senate nominee Barry Moore said he “couldn’t be more excited to join President Trump,” calling the rally “the jet fuel we need to win big in Alabama.”
Update: Deep-red stops raise questions about the midterm map
Updated Sept. 28, 2026
National attention on the president’s first October stops has grown, with observers noting that both Durant, Oklahoma, and Mobile sit in two of the most Republican states in the country even though Trump pledged to campaign in the 35 most competitive races. “It’s all about 35 races,” he said at a recent Rose Garden dinner with Republican lawmakers. “I’m going to go to every one of those 35 places and we’re going to see if we can get everyone elected.”
Organizers say both locations were chosen for media markets that cross state lines. The RNC noted that Durant is on the Texas border next to the Dallas-Fort Worth market, where Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom Trump backed over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, is in a tight Senate race against Democrat James Talarico, and Gov. Greg Abbott faces a stronger-than-expected challenge from Democrat Gina Hinojosa. In Oklahoma, Trump will campaign for gubernatorial nominee Mike Mazzei, who faces state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson. “This race continues to get more competitive — and national Republicans are right to be worried about Mazzei,” said Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe.
Mobile, next to the Florida Panhandle, can help drive turnout for Trump-backed candidates there as well as in Alabama. Some Republicans elsewhere have distanced themselves from the president in recent weeks, removing or downplaying references to him on campaign websites and voicing opposition to the war with Iran, according to national reporting.
Closer to home, the rally lands near Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures faces Trump-backed state Rep. Rhett Marques. Figures has criticized the president’s plan to lower import tariffs on foreign beef in an appeal to cattle ranchers. Former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones is also mounting a vigorous campaign for governor against Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who said he welcomed the visit.
Elsewhere, Republicans are eager for visits of their own. Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou, whose state Trump carried by 11 points in 2024 and where Sen. John Husted faces former Sen. Sherrod Brown, said, “We definitely want him here. He’s a turnout driver for us.”