President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear before thousands in Hershey, Pennsylvania, at a rally just hours after the House submitted articles of impeachment.
The historic events on Capitol Hill that could lead to the president's removal from office didn't stop countless Trump supporters from lining up for tickets on a cold, rainy day up to 10 hours before he arrived, photographs show.
"Trump rallies" have become a hallmark of the president's campaign, to say the least. According to an analysis by Vox, they often feature "Front Row Joes," a group of mostly retired white men who attend rallies en masse; chants such as "Lock her up!" or "Drain the swamp!"; cookouts, camping, coolers and a mad rush to the door when the venue finally opens.
10 hours before Trump rally PA... pic.twitter.com/zWJX4RPa7A
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 10, 2019
Supporters often have to show up hours in advance to beat fire marshals, who shut entry down to avoid overcrowding, according to the Vox analysis. Handy for the campaign's outreach efforts, local media groups have been known to cover the rallies for multiple days in a row.
"There is an old-time tent revival aspect to these rallies. And a sort of ritual of it. And there's a certain validation to it, too. I mean, for a lot of Trump supporters, and especially the Front Row Joes, they were among the first people in America to recognize the resonance of Trump's political message," said Mike Bender, a Wall Street Journal reporter, to Vox.
"And they were right. They picked a horse early on, stuck by him, and they won," Bender said in the interview.
If Trump's tweets are any indication, rally attendees are likely to hear about "Shifty Schiff" and "Nervous Nancy" in light of the pair's announcements earlier today.
Shifty Schiff, a totally corrupt politician, made up a horrible and fraudulent statement, read it to Congress, and said those words came from me. He got caught, was very embarrassed, yet nothing happened to him for committing this fraud. He’ll eventually have to answer for this!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2019
House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff, are moving forward with the impeachment articles against the president amid mounting evidence that he indeed pressured the Ukrainian government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and family in exchange for withheld military aid.
"On this solemn day, I recall that the first order of business for members of Congress is the solemn act to take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," Pelosi said at the time.
The articles accuse Trump of abusing his power and obstructing Congress, but public opinion remains staunchly divided when it comes to impeaching the president. In Pennsylvania, home to tonight's rally, at least 42 percent approve of the job the president is doing, while 52 percent disapprove, according to Susquehanna Polling and Research.
Here's how you can tune into the event.
YouTube
Fox 10 Phoenix is set to stream the event at 6:30 p.m. ET. The president's official account will also begin streaming slightly later in the day at 7 p.m. ET.
News Sites
CBS News has a live stream setup on its website for 7 p.m. ET, or users can tune in through the CBS News application for mobile devices, Roku, Apple TV and more. Local stations PCNTV, ABC27 and CBS21 will also stream the rally, though subscription fees may apply. It's also available on C-SPAN, where users can view past rallies in addition to Tuesday's event.
Cable
Cable channels vary by region, but Fox News is a likely taker, in addition to local outlets. Though cable news networks are not covering Trump rallies as frequently this year, networks CNN and MSNBC may broadcast the campaign stop in light of the president's increasing impeachment troubles.
