Severe weather scuttles Trump’s Wilmington rally

Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears ahead of the start of jury selection at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024 in New York City. Former President Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Jabin Botsford-Pool/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump spent the better part of the week in a New York courtroom where jurors will soon decide if he falsified business records and paid hush money ahead of the 2016 presidentail election.

Saturday was a chance to return to the campaign trail and focus on his 2024 campaign. But Mother Nature had other ideas.

Supporters packed the Aero Center at Wilmington Airport as early as 3 p.m. to hear from the 77-year-old presidential hopeful, who was slated to take the stage at 7 p.m.

As the hour drew closer, clouds thickened, skies turned dark and the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m.

With the event being carried live on the Right Side Broadcasting Network’s You Tube channel, the audience could hear Trump over the public address system telling supporters that “very bad weather” was moving in, making the event unsafe.

“They really would prefer that we not come in because it’s a certain danger to all of this and we want to make sure that everybody is safe above all, and so they’ve asked us to ask people to leave the site and seek shelter.”

Trump went on to tell supporters that he would make it up to them with a future appearance.

“I’m more devastated that this could happen but we want to keep everybody safe,” Trump said. “If you don’t mind I think we’re gonna have to just do a raincheck. I’m so sad I’m in North Carolina right now and waiting to go in but they’re saying the weather is really getting bad, really really getting bad so we have to rely on the weather service and some of the officials.”

Trump promised that he would make the event “bigger and better” when it was rescheduled.

While some agreed with the weather-related cancellation, others took to Twitter/X to suggest that the weather was somehow fixed to disrupt Trump’s moment:

Others offered a more playful suggestion:

Trump last visited North Carolina in early March before Super Tuesday. In his Greensboro address, Trump told supporters that the nation would experience economic ruin if he did not win reelection.

“You’ll have a situation like 1929. You will have a Great Depression. I believe that with all my heart,” he said in the March 2 speech.

A Mason-Dixon North Carolina poll released Friday shows Trump leading President Joe Biden 49% to Biden’s 43% with 8% undecided. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Trump will be back in New York City on Monday for opening statements in his criminal trial.

Severe weather cancelled Trump’s outdoor rally in Wilmington, NC on Saturday, April 20, 2024. (Map: National Weather Service)

The post Severe weather scuttles Trump’s Wilmington rally appeared first on NC Newsline.