Former President Donald Trump will return to the Lehigh Valley next weekend for a campaign rally as he aims for a second term in the White House.
A rally is scheduled for the Schnecksville Fire Hall on Old Packhouse Road in North Whitehall Township at 7 p.m. April 13, according to his campaign website.
A representative for the Republican National Committee confirmed Trump’s visit but did not provide further details.
This will be Trump’s first visit to the Lehigh Valley of the 2024 election cycle. He will compete against President Joe Biden in the November general election, and recent polls in Pennsylvania show a close race. Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, has 19 electoral votes, tied with Illinois for the fifth most votes that could decide the presidency.
The last time Trump visited that area was October 2020 when, in the final days of his reelection campaign, he held a rally in Hanover Township, Northampton County. During that visit, he falsely claimed only “massive fraud” could explain a reelection loss, emphasized his response to the covid-19 pandemic, and criticized Joe Biden as a “die-hard globalist” who would harm Pennsylvania’s manufacturing industry.
Biden won Pennsylvania by about 80,000 votes in 2020.
The event will also occur prior to the April 23 primary. Trump has already secured the Republican nomination for president.
Biden visited the Lehigh Valley in January, highlighting his economic initiatives with small business owners in Emmaus and firefighters in Allentown.
Trump’s campaign is taking place amidst his numerous legal battles, some of which could be decided before the election. The Republican nominee is facing multiple felony counts across two state courts and two federal districts for his alleged illegal business dealings, handling of classified documents, and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
