President Donald Trump spoke at Turning Point USA event in Phoenix

President Trump visits Phoenix for TPUSA event

President Donald Trump made his first visit to Phoenix in 2026, as he flew to the Valley to attend a Turning Point USA event that was held at a church. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz and Brian Webb report.

PHOENIX - President Donald Trump arrived in Phoenix on April 17 to speak at an event hosted by Turning Point USA.

The backstory:

On March 31, we reported that President Trump is expected to speak at the "Build The Red Wall" event, which is scheduled to take place at Dream City Church.

Doors opened at 9 a.m. MST, with the event starting at 12 p.m.

The event's website listed Trump, along with Erika Kirk, Reps. Andy Biggs, Eli Crane, Abe Hamadeh, Paul Gosar, and Juan Ciscomani as speakers. Kirk's appearance at the event marked the first such appearance since she skipped a TPUSA event in Athens, Georgia on April 14. According to Vice President JD Vance, Kirk opted out of the event due to safety concerns.

Local perspective:

While doors opened at 9:00 a.m. at Dream City Church, but people lined up early. The speaker program began at noon, which included Danica Patrick, former athletes Jay Feely and Jeremy Roenick.

Kirk introduced Trump at the event, but before that, she talked about the work of her late husband, slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, and her wanting it to continue.

During the event, Trump and other speakers encouraged people to get out and vote for Republican candidates in the November midterm election.

Trump also talked about other matters, from immigration to cost of living, saying his administration has made "significant achievements" in all of those areas. Trump also touched on the topic of Iran, reiterating that the Strait of Hormuz is back open, but emphasized that the U.S. naval blockade will remain in effect until everything is resolved. He claims that will happen very soon.

By the numbers:

According to officials with Turning Point USA, more than 3,000 people attended the event.

The other side:

Groups both for and against Trump rallied outside the church where the event took place. Both sides were present all day, and some of them even clashed.

"We're here to get our democracy back," said Annie Naroda, who was protesting against Trump. "We're here to get people to the polls in November and vote for the Democrats."

Donald Trump visit: Protesters, supporters gather

Outside the Turning Point USA event where Trump spoke, there was a fair share of protesters, as well as people who support Trump. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen has more.

Meanwhile, some of the Trump supporters we talked to say they are reaffirming their support for him and what he has done for the country.

"If we could get more of them to see what it's really like behind those doors, I think we can change some of their minds because it's not what they believe it is," said Ruben Bugayong..

Both sides say the rally gives their side an opportunity to build their bases, and get ready for the midterms.

FOX 10 received a statement from East Valley Unite, which says, in part: "The key reason we are protesting is to make clear that Donald Trump is not welcome in Arizona. We don't want him to have a large, successful event, with no opposition, because that would indicate that he is well-received in our state, which is not the case."

East Valley Unite's statement on President Donald Trump's visit to Phoenix.

Big picture view:

The event is taking place at a time when polls show softening support for Trump.

According to the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll numbers from March 19, 38% of those surveyed approve of Trump's job performance, while 60% disapprove.

The same poll, which was taken just weeks after the start of Operation Epic Fury against Iran, shows that 64% of those surveyed disapproved of Trump's handling of foreign policy.

Map of Dream City Church: