Trump’s Mesa rally draws massive crowd

Thousands reliably turn out for Trump braving extreme weather conditions

Business Insider covers presidential candidate Donald Trump’s dramatic arrival in Mesa Wednesday afternoon. Colin Campbell, political reporter for the publication writes about Trump pulling up in his “Trump Force One,” his personal Boeing 757-220 jet with “TRUMP” written in giant letters across the side:

The rally, conveniently, was at an airplane hangar in Mesa, Arizona. His plane drove in front of the hangar twice before Trump got out.

“So we had three venues,” he told his supporters. “The first one too small. The second one too small. The third one too small. We said, ‘Does anybody have an airplane hanger?’”

A private hangar at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport filled the bill.

Contrast this visual with the puny crowd of about 300 who turned out for what was pitched as a McCain rally Saturday at Dobson High — also in Mesa. Mitt Romney came to provide oxygen to the flat-lined carcass of McCain’s senate kickoff. We covered the embarrassingly low turnout here. See the photo and topical cartoon here.

Attempting to comport herself as a loyal wife, Cindy McCain did her best to gin up a crowd, but ultimately had to admit she was unable to generate the necessary enthusiasm. After over three decades in Washington working hand-in-glove with Democrats and pushing amnesty for illegals, John McCain is running for another 6-year term.

Trump has the ability to draw loyal fans. When he came to Phoenix in the scorching heat of July, over 5,000 turned out. The seemingly endless line snaked for blocks around the Phoenix Convention Center. Yesterday an estimated 6,000 braved the chilly mid-December air to hear him and  listen to popular Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio‘s introduction. Following on the heels of Tuesday night’s presidential debate and Trump‘s stellar performance, the energy was palpable. This was not a blasé crowd.

Check out the latest national polling numbers here.