LATROBE, Pennsylvania — Air Force One rolled up behind the hangar for the grand entrance. Then, as hundreds of red-capped supporters rose to their feet, President Trump emerged at the plane door, bringing the noise to fever pitch.
He strode across the airport apron before mounting the podium alone.
“We are doing the hangar thing now because the arenas … can’t do it because of the pandemic for a while,” he said to roars of approval. “But, in certain ways, I like this better. I get off the plane, I make a speech, I get the hell out of here.”
And so, Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in western Pennsylvania became the latest venue for a well-ventilated Trump rally in the time of COVID-19 — joining hangars at Mankato Regional Airport, Minnesota, Wittman Airport, Wisconsin, Yuma International Airport, Arizona, and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, New Hampshire, in a tour of local airfields in battleground states.
Next week, the destination is Smith-Reynolds Airport in North Carolina.
Planning has evolved into a standard setup, allowing organizers to deploy the same layout at each location.
The podium is set up outside the hangar itself, ensuring the president is protected by winds swirling through the flat landscape of the airport grounds. Cherry pickers or cranes dangle flags to each side.
The result is an opportunity to replicate the rallies that helped Trump gain airtime in 2016, albeit on a smaller scale. This time around, campaign officials also say they provide a visual demonstration of the energy gap between Trump and the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden.
Samantha Zager, campaign deputy national press secretary, said: “Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump realizes just how important it is to be on the campaign trail to better understand the issues that matter to the American people.”
“President Trump has been utilizing airplane hangars for years as a great way to gather his supporters, and our campaign will continue to utilize hangars to allow the president to connect directly with voters across the country,” she added.
Pennsylvania restricts gatherings to 25 people indoors and 250 outdoors. But hundreds more gathered for Trump, using seats separated by only a few inches, although giant fans whirled air through the space.
There are logistical advantages to using airport hangars, according to Blake Marnell, who knows a thing or two about Trump events, having attended 10 rallies before this one.
“These are great for this stage of the campaign because if he wants to get his message out fast, then he can much faster than using an arena,” he said. “These only need three or four days’ notice, and they can be very mobile.”
Marnell is better known as the “wall guy” for the orange brick suit he wears to rallies, and he has been on a three-week road trip across the country encouraging the “silent majority” to wear their Trump pins to work or their MAGA caps at the weekends, when doing so is less likely to invite attack. He added that he expected the campaign to escalate the number of hangar rallies in the weeks to come.
“This is the way to do multiple locations in a day — just fly in and fly out,” he said.
A souvenir stall, selling Make America Great Again caps for $25, was doing brisk trade at the back of the cavernous space. Outside, a food truck offered nachos, sushi wraps, and beef tacos.
Edward Young, who works in finance by day and horror movies after hours, said he still missed events that could fill sporting arenas, with crowds of 20,000.
“There’s nothing like the energy of the big rally,” he said. “But you can get lost in the crowd a bit.”
At Manchester-Boston Regional Airport a week ago, Trump responded to Young’s shouted thanks for “right to try” — a policy that allows terminally ill patients access to experimental drugs if they have exhausted other options. In front of the entire crowd and an online audience of thousands more, the president diverted from his speech to hear from Young about the recent death of his wife.
“He’s been a friend of mine,” he told the crowd.
“Come on. He’s been here for a long time. He’s been a good guy for a long time,” he said before ending the exchange by asking his staff to follow up with Young so that he could get the full story.
“Would other presidents do something like that?” asked Young.
