President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton held rival rallies Friday in Florida and Mississippi respectively, as both parties deploy their heavy hitters just four days before the midterm elections.
Trump addressed a rally at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach while Clinton spoke in Tupelo at the Link Center in support of Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom.
These events come as Republicans and Democrats attempt to mobilize voters ahead of Tuesday’s elections. Democrats hope to flip both houses of Congress, which would significantly hamper Trump’s freedom of action in the final two years of his second term.
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Trump has focused heavily on attending his rivals’ events in recent weeks and raised the topic again on Friday.
News week contacted President Trump, through the White House, by email outside of normal business hours.
A Clinton spokesperson said: “President Clinton was defending Scott Colom. Trump was making excuses for senseless wars and senseless tariffs that force Americans to pay more for gas and groceries. President Clinton was on attack. Trump was on defense. That’s the story. »
Florida and Mississippi Rallies
According to The Daytona Beach News Journal Trump’s rally in the city was attended by “a crowd of more than 9,000 people.” Photographs published by the media outlet show packed stands as the president delivered his speech.
The Ocean Center in Daytona has a capacity of 9,300 people according to its official website, with “more than 200,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space.”
On X, the conservative Right Side Broadcasting Network shared a minute-long video showing crowded seats on four sides around the podium at the Daytona rally. They commented: “THE FAMILY MEDIA WILL NOT SHOW YOU THIS!”
“An absolutely packed arena in Daytona Beach, Florida as THOUSANDS of American patriots rally for President Trump! The energy is UNREAL!”
Trump supporter Benny Johnson also shared footage from the rally, commenting, “The media keeps saying ‘MAGA is dead’…I’m at the Trump rally right now in Daytona Beach and it’s packed.” »
Conservative commentator Eric Daugherty posted footage of Trump being applauded as he arrived to deliver his speech and said there were “thousands of people” still waiting outside the venue at this point. This has not been independently confirmed by News week.
Clinton’s rally in Tupelo was attended by “about 400 people” according to Mississippi today. Local media outlet WTVA reported that the venue, the Link Center, had a seating capacity of “approximately 400 people” as well as “additional overflow space available for 100 people.” It is unclear whether the overflow space was used for the gathering.
WTVA reporter Ross Adams shared video from the rally on X showing Clinton speaking to an enthusiastic crowd on a theater-like stage. He added: “The man famous for shaking every hand in the room could be here all night as @BillClinton walks to a crowd in Tupelo, following a high-profile speech criticizing the Trump administration and reinforcing @scott_colom’s attempt to upend history in just a few days. »
Photographs of the event taken by a Getty photographer showed Clinton speaking in front of a large Mississippi flag, flanked by American flags, while a supporter held up a sign reading “MISSISSIPPI FORWARD.”
What was said
At Trump’s rally, the president accused the media of downplaying attendance at his rallies, commenting, “They never like to mention the crowd side because crowd size equals success and they, the fake news people, don’t want us to succeed.” »
Trump said Tuesday’s election would be “the most important midterm elections ever” and said he was campaigning to “stop communists who hate America from taking control of the U.S. Congress.”
Meanwhile, Clinton defended Colom, the Democratic candidate for Mississippi Senate, commenting: “I support Scott because he will honestly give you his opinion, and if you disagree, he will have a conversation with you. And if you can change your mind, he will change your mind.”
“You can’t prioritize MAGA. You have to prioritize Mississippi.”
Colom also gave a speech in which he emphasized the cost of living. The Democratic candidate said: “They were promised lower grocery prices. That’s what I’m going to fight for.”
“This is the message I am sending to them. I am going to give you what we promised you in 2024. We promised you not to wage endless wars anymore. I will not give you any more endless wars.”
Controversy over participation in rallies
A number of politicians have referenced the scale of their rallies, or those of their opponents, in the run-up to the midterm elections.
On Thursday, Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico said CNN his Republican rival Ken Paxton was “canceling rallies because no one was showing up.”
The comment comes after Paxton’s team canceled a planned Nov. 1 rally in El Paso, citing scheduling and logistical issues.
At a rally in Perry, Georgia, on Oct. 24, Trump took aim at the size of the crowd former President Barack Obama drew at a rally in Michigan.
He said: “You know, I saw that Barack Hussein Obama was in Michigan and the place was empty. And they were like, ‘Oh, it’s a big crowd coming, people are sneaking in.’ They don’t talk about my crowds, they never talk about them.
Trump has a habit of including Obama’s middle name when mentioning the former president, in what critics see as an attempt to make him seem more Islamic.
Obama’s Michigan rally was held at Cass Technical High School, which has a 3,000-person capacity gym, with room for about 4,300 people, including overflow areas, for major events such as political rallies. Photographs of the event showed good attendance and one commentator reported that there was an overflow crowd.
Update, 10/31/26, 10:39 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a clarified date for the event to be canceled.
Contact Newsweek’s editor-in-chief for this story: Edward Pearcey.
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