President Trump will speak at a campaign event in Evansville, Indiana later this week, where he’s expected to urge supporters to vote for U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun.
The Thursday evening rally at the Ford Center will be the first time the president speaks publicly in the southwest Indiana city since he won the state in 2016. Trump’s campaign event in April 2016 drew 12,000 attendees and featured former IU basketball coach Bob Knight.
Trump will likely criticize the not-particularly-liberal voting record of Braun’s opponent, Democratic incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly, who is considered one of the most moderate senators from his party in recent decades. When the president announced a planned tax overhaul in Indianapolis last year, he brought the vulnerable senator with him and said if Donnelly didn’t support his tax plan, Trump would “come here and campaign against him like you won’t believe.”
The senator ended up voting against the tax bill, which ultimately passed, but recently voted to support border wall funding, one of Trump's signature causes.
Tickets to the 7 p.m. rally are available on the campaign website. Thousands of counter-protesters are expected to demonstrate in the area of the Ford Center, according to local media reports.
