MOBILE, Ala.—President Donald Trump continued his midterm campaign tour with a stop in the city where his huge rally spectacles began during his first run for office with an address to an energized crowd of thousands at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center on Friday night.
“It all sort of began here,” Trump said, remembering the August 2015 mega-rally where more than 30,000 supporters attended. “We packed the stadium, and the rest was history.”
Slightly fewer than 10,000 were on hand to witness his latest appearance, a stop announced days before as the whirlwind schedule of 32 rallies planned for the next five weeks unfolds.
The president said he made the trip because “even though you don’t have to come here, you’ve got to pay respect to the people that have loved you right from the beginning.”
He highlighted investments in the state, including Eli Lilly’s $6 billion commitment to build a facility in Huntsville, representing the largest private investment in Alabama history, $4 billion from Mercedes-Benz for its plant near Tuscaloosa, and $1.2 billion from ArcelorMittal for an electrical-steel mill operation in Calvert.
Rallying the Vote
Denel Wardell, president of the Republican Women of Franklin County, told The Epoch Times the president’s visit is perfectly timed.
“I’d like a lot of encouragement to get out the vote,” she said. “I’d also like him to calm people’s nerves about the gas crisis and remind them that it was a lot worse under [President Joe] Biden.”
Republicans are seeking to shore up support for congressional candidate Rhett Marques, who will face incumbent Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.) in a newly redrawn second district.
“The choice on the ballot really comes down to two things: craziness or common sense—it’s that simple,” Marques said during the rally.
Figures is running on a platform of expanding access to healthcare, protecting civil rights, and investing in education, among other issues, according to a statement from his campaign.
The speakers unanimously described their opponents as democratic socialists, warning of the dangers of communism on the economy and the nation.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), running against former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones for governor, thanked the president for his leadership under fire and for helping bring nearly $40 billion of capital to Alabama.
“They tried to lock him up, and they tried to kill him,” Tuberville said. “Now, against all odds, this man fought hard when he didn’t have to to win back the White House.”
Trump’s visit coincided with a ceremonial groundbreaking at Cooper Riverside Park for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway, made possible by federal grants and loans overseen by Trump.
President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center on Oct. 2, 2026. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times
The largest infrastructure project in the state’s history includes a $3.2 billion phase one, with construction of the six-lane bridge spanning the Mobile River expected to open in late 2031.
Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.), running for Senate against Democrat Clyde W. Jones Jr., proposed naming the new structure the “Gateway to the Gulf of America Donald J. Trump Bridge,” an idea the crowd approved of with boisterous applause.
Republicans Katherine Robertson and John Wahl will face Democrats Jeffrey McLauglin and Philip Ensler for the state’s open attorney general and lieutenant governor seats, respectively.
Robertson received the president’s full endorsement from the stage during the rally.
Trump is stumping for Republican candidates across the nation with slightly more than a month left before the Nov. 3 midterms.
He also announced another visit to Alabama on Oct. 10 to watch number two-ranked Georgia take on seventh-place Alabama in a college football game in Tuscaloosa.
A few hundred protesters gathered in the university’s courtyard carrying signs and shouting slogans. Security was tight after Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch issued a statement on Sept. 28, notifying the public that local authorities were monitoring online threats.
