Trump holding another desert rally despite 11 falling ill due to heat exhaustion before Phoenix event
Donald Trump’s summer campaign stops include locations in the middle of the desert, leaving supporters standing for hours in the merciless southwest heat. But it hasn't stopped his fans from standing in line for him — even if it sends them to the hospital.
Nearly a dozen of the MAGA faithful in Arizona required hospitalization earlier this month while waiting to attend a Trump campaign event in Phoenix.
On Sunday, 9 June, the former president will again venture out into the desert, this time bringing his revenge and resentment tour to Las Vegas, Nevada — and into the Mojave Desert.
With a high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (42C), the weather will once again pose a threat to lined up MAGA supporters on Sunday. This time, however, the Trump campaign has reportedly made plans to help prevent their fans from succumbing to the temperatures.
The campaign has prepared thousands of water bottles in Las Vegas to hand out to supporters waiting in line for the event and for those already inside the event's security perimeter.
It will also be erecting tents to provide spots for shade for those who need a break from the sun, and at least one of the tents will have air-conditioning, the New York Times reports.
Misting fans will be placed around the venue to help keep attendees cool, and the campaign has allowed participants to bring very small umbrellas with them for extra shade.
Supporters sometimes have to wait hours before they can enter secured venues to see a president or former president speak. In most places, that's annoying. In the southwest in the summer, it's potentially deadly without preparation.
Heat exhaustion — which can cause dizziness, nausea, headache, and thirst, among other symptoms — was what sent the 11 Trump supporters in Arizona to the hospital, and will likely be a constant thorn in the side for any campaign visiting the southwest this summer.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations' seasonal outlook calls for above normal temperatures for the next three months across the country.
The number one way to battle heat exhaustion is to stay hydrated, to wear loose fitting clothes, and to protect yourself from sunburns, as sunburns affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
That's of no concern to Trump, however. He has routinely downplayed the climate crisis, saying during a recent interview that the only warming that concerns him is "nuclear global warming."
He also has no issue holding campaign events in extreme weather conditions.
A severe blizzard forced Trump to cancel all but one of his rallies earlier this year in Iowa. Those who attended thee one remaining event had to trudge through subzero temperatures and were subjected to freezing winds while they waited in line.
That time, the campaign provided a trio of buses where waiting supporters could warm themselves before heading back into the cold.
