FORT MYERS, Fla. – Tony Stock stood in a long, winding line outside a Southwest Florida arena, eager to recapture the feeling he had at his first Trump rally.
Stock said he had tears in his eyes as the music swelled and President Donald Trump took the stage back at the 2018 rally in southern Illinois.
“I needed to experience that, probably one last time,” Stock, 63, a Fort Myers retiree, said, 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, barnstorming rally schedule that twice helped deliver him the White House.
On Friday, that meant another marathon performance spanning roughly
90 minutes that had diehard fans decked out in MAGA gear lining up early.
Some, like Stock, wanted to ensure they catch a Trump rally while they last, 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 the president works to defy the political gravity that typically works against an incumbent president’s party in the midterms.
Trump’s approval rating has sunk to record lows in recent polls amid backlash to his aggressive second term agenda, and is threatening to drag down Republican candidates. The president’s supporters in Florida gave little credence to the pollsters and the pundits predicting a rough election night for the GOP on Nov. 3, though.
'Trump for King'
Wearing a “Gulf of America” shirt and holding up 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 anointed king “for like 99 days, just to autocorrect America back to the way it’s supposed to be.”
For Trump’s diehard supporters, there’s a sense of nostalgia setting in as the president’s second and final term comes to an end, vender Anthony Rausch said as he sold Trump merchandise outside the arena.
“Trump 2028” apparel is among the most popular gear, Rausch noted. “People want to see him for the last time before he steps down as his term expires,” Rausch said.
While Trump’s rallies during the 2026 cycle haven’t drawn the massive crowds they once did, Alico Arena was full to its roughly 4,600 capacity 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 did not book a larger venue and argued that he could have “filled the biggest arena in the country.”
Minnesota resident Sharon Schell, 63, who was attending her first Trump rally with her 84-year-old mother while they visited family in Florida, said it was a bucket list experience. She wore a shirt that said “Minnesota Nice” and said she was glad to be among people who shared her beliefs.
She was among the rally attendees who said they were optimistic about the outcome of the election, in spite of polls showing Republicans trailing or tied in critical House and Senate races.
“Trump supporters poll a little different… so I feel there’s hope,” said Pat Tinsley, 62, a Missouri resident who was in Florida on 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.
Midterms a test of Trump's second-term appeal
Republicans face strong headwinds in the midterms amid backlash to steep fuel prices brought on by the Trump administration's months-long war in Iran. Voter frustration over the economy has put the GOP on defense in the closing 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 challenging political environment has been to inject himself more forcefully into many of the races with a punishing rally schedule aimed at energizing his base.
GOP victories in the House in particular would make it more difficult for congressional Democrats to conduct investigations and potentially impeach members of his administration.
In spite of the president’s unpopularity, Trump and his allies believe he can help swing key races for the GOP by juicing turnout in red states and districts where the party has a considerable advantage over Democrats in the number of registered voters.
“If we can get the people out then we’re going to have landslides the likes of which we’ve never seen,” Trump said Oct. 23.
At rally after rally Trump has implored GOP voters to pretend he’s on the ballot and deliver one more victory for his party.
Republican strategists such as Karl Rove, the former George W. Bush adviser,have warned that Trump’s aggressive rally strategy is a risky bet.
Trump dismissed those concerns as he spoke to reporters on his way out of the White House on his way to Florida. He argued that his rallies are “loaded with people” and his appearances are helping the GOP. “The one problem is, I’m one person. This is a lot of work.”
“I’m the only one who can get the crowds,” he added.
Shoring up 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 that Trump carried by double digits in 2024 would serve as a rebuke to the Republican president.
Some recent polls have shown the governor’s race between GOP 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 reelection in 2016 to former Florida Congressman Charlie Crist.
The anti-Trumper is now running for governor as a Democrat, leading Trump to say from the Alico Arena stage that he "thrown out of the party like a dog." Jolly promoted the broadside on social media.
The state also has a number of close House races and Senate race 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 rates solidly Republican.
On Friday afternoon, Trump turned to Southwest Florida for help boosting the state’s Republican turnout. The region offers a deep well of MAGA-friendly voters, with 250,937 registered Republicans in Lee County compared with 109,727 Democrats.
In 2018 Trump held a rally in Lee County with current Florida Gov. 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 he overhauled his website to remove prominent mentions of Trump. But at the Lee Country rally he amped up the crowd before Trump's arrival and later joined the president on stage.
“Don’t you just love a good rally?” Donalds said in his remarks.
The crowd roared. They'd shown up one last time for Trump.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When the MAGA's over: Nostalgia sets in for Trump fans at final rallies
