Updated October 23, 2026, 11:55 p.m. ET
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Tony Stock stood in a long, winding line outside a southwest Florida arena, eager to recapture the feeling he felt at his first Trump rally.
Stock said he had tears in his eyes as the music swelled and President Donald Trump returned to the stage at the 2018 rally in southern Illinois.
“I needed to experience this, probably one last time,” said Stock, 63, a retiree from Fort Myers, as he waited to enter Alico Arena at Florida Gulf Coast University in Lee County on Oct. 23.
Facing a potential blue wave that could wipe out Republican majorities in Congress, Trump has returned to the relentless and turbulent schedule of rallies that twice helped put him in the White House.
On Friday, that meant another marathon performance lasting about 90 minutes in which die-hard fans clad in MAGA gear lined up early.
Some, like Stock, wanted to make sure they attended a Trump rally while they lasted, as the final two years of the lame-duck president’s second term come into focus, ushering in the twilight of his political career. Many were eager to show their support as Trump works to defy the political gravity that typically works against an incumbent president’s party in the midterms.
Trump’s approval rating has fallen to record lows in recent polls amid backlash over his aggressive second-term agenda and threatens to topple Republican candidates. The president’s supporters in Florida, however, gave little credence to pollsters and pundits predicting a tough election night for the Republican Party on November 3.
“Trump for the king”
Wearing a “Gulf of America” shirt and holding a “Trump for King” banner, Tampa resident Guy Cini, 46, arrived at sunrise for the 2 p.m. rally, which he said was his eighth.
Cini said his banner was “trolling” liberals, but said he wouldn’t mind seeing Trump be crowned king “for about 99 days, just to auto-correct America and bring it back to what it’s supposed to be.”
For die-hard Trump supporters, a sense of nostalgia is setting in as the end of the president’s second and final term approaches, vendor Anthony Rausch said as he sold Trump merchandise outside the arena.
“Trump 2028” clothing is among the most popular gear, Rausch noted. “People want to see him one last time before he resigns when his term expires,” Rausch said.
Although Trump’s rallies in the 2026 cycle have not drawn the massive crowds they once had, Alico Arena was full to its capacity of about 4,600 people well before Trump spoke, with many supporters still in line when law enforcement began turning people away.
Reflecting on the overflow, Trump expressed frustration that his aides had not booked a larger venue and argued that he could have “filled the largest arena in the country.”
Minnesota resident Sharon Schell, 63, who attended her first Trump rally with her 84-year-old mother while they were visiting family in Florida, said it was an unforgettable experience. She wore a shirt that said “Minnesota Nice” and said she was happy to be among people who shared her beliefs.
She was among those at the rally who expressed optimism about the outcome of the election, despite polls showing Republicans trailing or tied in critical House and Senate races.
“The polls of Trump supporters are a little different … so I feel like there’s hope,” said Pat Tinsley, 62, a Missouri resident who was in Florida for a fishing trip and decided to attend the event, echoing a sentiment expressed in recent days by national Republicans such as House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The midterms, a test of Trump’s appeal for his second term
Republicans face strong headwinds in the midterms amid backlash over rising fuel prices caused by the Trump administration’s months-long war in Iran. Voter frustration with the economy has put the Republican Party on the defensive in the final stretch of the election, with Republican candidates fighting for their political lives in Senate races in deep red states.
The president’s response to the difficult political environment has been to engage more forcefully in many races with a demanding schedule of rallies aimed at energizing his base.
Republican Party victories in the House, in particular, would make it more difficult for congressional Democrats to investigate and potentially impeach members of his administration.
Despite the president’s unpopularity, Trump and his allies believe he can help swing key elections for Republicans by increasing turnout in red states and districts where the party has a significant advantage over Democrats in terms of the number of registered voters.
“If we can get people out, we’re going to have landslides like we’ve never seen,” Trump said on October 23.
At rally after rally, Trump implored Republican Party voters to get on the ballot and deliver one more victory to his party.
Republican strategists such as Karl Rove, a former adviser to George W. Bush, have warned that Trump’s aggressive rally strategy is a risky gamble.
Trump dismissed those concerns as he spoke to reporters as he left the White House to travel to Florida. He argued that his rallies are “packed with people” and that his appearances help the GOP. “The only problem is I’m just one person. It’s a lot of work.”
“I am the only one who can attract crowds,” he added.
Strengthening Red State Florida
Home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Florida has become the epicenter of the MAGA movement, and a strong Democratic showing in the state, where Trump would carry by double digits in 2024, would serve as a rebuke to the Republican president.
Some recent polls have shown that the gubernatorial race between Republican Rep. Byron Donalds and his opponent, David Jolly, could be closer than initially expected. Jolly represented Florida in the House as a Republican before losing re-election in 2016 to former Florida Congressman Charlie Crist.
The anti-Trumper is now running as a Democrat for governor, leading Trump to declare from the Alico Arena stage that he “was kicked out of the party like a dog.” Jolly promoted the newspaper on social media.
The state also has a number of close House and Senate races on the ballot. Progressive Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon is challenging Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who was appointed to replace Marco Rubio when he became secretary of state, for the seat that the Cook Political Report characterizes as solidly Republican.
On Friday afternoon, Trump turned to Southwest Florida for help in increasing the state’s Republican turnout. The region offers a significant pool of pro-MAGA voters, with 250,937 registered Republicans in Lee County, compared to 109,727 Democrats.
In 2018, Trump held a rally in Lee County with current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who won with the president’s help. This time, he was promoting Donalds, who hopes to succeed DeSantis.
Donalds came under scrutiny in September after revamping its website to remove prominent mentions of Trump. But at the Lee Country rally, he excited the crowd before Trump arrived and then joined the president on stage.
“Don’t you just love a good rally?” Donalds said in his remarks.
The crowd roars. They showed up one last time for Trump.
Gn headline
