President Donald J. Trump will be visiting Arizona on Friday according to an announcement from Turning Point Action. Trump will be visiting the border with Mexico on Thursday and holding a rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale on Friday. After Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz tread water in Chicago at the DNC with radical leftists breaking down barricades, their opponent, resurgent in the polls, will be touching down in the Arizona battleground and playing to a 20,000 seat arena.
Turning Point Action touted the visit on their website writing, “In his first scheduled rally following the conclusion of the DNC in Chicago; the rally will provide President Trump, Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action speakers their first opportunity to react to updates and news from the convention, as well as take direct aim at Kamala Harris’ economic proposals that have been widely-criticized by mainstream, and even left-leaning news media as ‘communist’ policies that have ‘failed’ in the Soviet Union, Venezuela, and Argentina.
Harris and Walz rallied in the same arena on August 9. Doubtlessly both campaigns will seek to compare audience sizes and enthusiasm. The Harris event allegedly drew a crowd of 15,000 or 75% occupancy according to the outlet. Based on a study from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the event on Friday will be telling with a unique opportunity for an apples to apples comparison. On average in 2024, Trump events have drawn about 5,000 attendees cross 28 rallies so far. Biden, before dropping out, only drew about 1,300 average across the four rallies he held. Meanwhile Harris and Walz have capitalized on post-Biden enthusiasm and played exclusively to larger venues with an average across the six venues so far of about 13,400 attendees.
Trump last played in Arizona to a packed house at the Phoenix Dream City Church, and the 3,000 seat venue was easily overwhelmed by the response. Trump’s rallies routinely have crowd responses that pack houses and overrun venue capacities.
The Trump campaign said in a press release,
“President Donald Trump and JD Vance are heartbroken to see the path of death and destruction left behind by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Hard-working Arizona families are paying a steep price for Kamala’s dangerously liberal agenda that is devastating American cities with skyrocketing costs and crime ridden streets.
Kamala’s open border policies are fueling a drug crisis in the state. In Maricopa County, more than three people die every day on average due to fentanyl. Over half of the total fentanyl pills entering the country originate from the Arizona border. Fentanyl has overtaken meth as the deadliest drug in Arizona. Enough Fentanyl was seized last year to kill every Arizonan 14 times over.
President Donald Trump and JD Vance will fight to ease the financial pressures placed on households and re-establish law and order in Arizona! We can Make America Great Again by tackling lawlessness head-on, ceasing the endless flow of illegal immigrants across our southern border, and reversing the detrimental effects of inflation by restoring people’s wealth.“
Republican Senate nominee Kari Lake is expected to speak at the rally as well according to her post to X on Monday.
I am thrilled to announce that I will be speaking at President Donald J. Trump's Arizona for Trump rally!
Doors Open at 11:00 am at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale on Friday.
Since President Joe Biden stood down from the 2024 election, Arizona’s battleground status was entrenched with Harris enjoying a bump from 2 to 5 percent in polls according to RealClearPolling. However, in the past two weeks the race has narrowed to within a single percentage point per the RCP average. Prior to Biden’s withdrawal, Trump enjoyed a firm 5-6 point advantage over the former Democrat incumbent that only grew as concerns over Biden’s viability grew.
In Glendale the event’s doors are set to open at 11:00 a.m. and President Trump is expected to deliver his remarks at 4:00 p.m., although other speakers will be presenting starting at 2 p.m.
Democratic Candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff Tyler Kamp has found his campaign marred by controversy including allegations of sexual harassment during his final year with the Phoenix Police Department. However, new documentation shows that this was not Kamp’s first violation of the law during his tenure.
Records from the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Payson Regional Justice Court obtained by AZ Free News have revealed that on August 10, 2019 at 11:46 AM Kamp was subject to a traffic stop and issued a citation for driving his vehicle without a current registration. Kamp reportedly pleaded guilty to the charge which under Arizona Revised Statue §28-2532 carries a $300 fine.
But further, the citation from the DPS seems to show Kamp’s drivers license was extremely out of date, listing his home address in Waddell even though records indicate by 2019 he hadn’t lived there for approximately 8 years.
Closer examination of the citation also reveals that Kamp was speeding, clocked by radar at 52mph in a posted 35 mph zone, moving past mile post 270 on SR260 northeast of Payson in Gila County. Although cited for the registration violation, Kamp doesn’t appear to have been charged with either the outdated license or speeding and should’ve been charged under Arizona Revised Statue §28-448 and 28-702.01 respectively. All of this happened while he was working as a Phoenix Police Officer.
A search of the Maricopa County Assessor’s office confirmed that Kamp’s Waddell home was sold in July 2011 and voting records confirm that although an early ballot was sent to Kamp at the Waddell address for the 2011 general election, the ballot was not cast, indicating he no longer lived there. According to ARS §28-448, “If a person’s name or address changes after the person applies for or receives a driver license or nonoperating identification license or after the person applies for or receives a vehicle registration or vehicle title, the person shall notify the department within ten days after the change of the old and new address.” Violation of the statute is listed as a civil traffic violation.
Kamp was clocked driving at 17 mph over the limit on SR260, and under ARS § 28-702.01, “If the maximum speed limit on a public highway in this state is at least thirty miles per hour in an area that is outside of an urbanized area, a person shall not drive a motor vehicle at a speed in excess of the posted speed limit on that highway,” and “If … the speed at which the court finds the person drove is more than ten miles per hour in excess of the posted speed limit, the offense is designated as a civil traffic violation and the person is subject to a civil penalty.”
As reported by ABC15 on July 8, Kamp is already facing allegations that he sexually harassed a rookie police officer during his final year with the Phoenix Police Department according to an investigation completed by the City of Phoenix Equal Opportunity Department (EOD) following his retirement from the force. Kamp was reportedly never disciplined in the matter.
Investigators wrote in their final report cited by ABC15, “(Redacted) reported that Lt. Kamp sent sexually harassing text messages to her. The evidence provided by (redacted) corroborated her allegations. Although Lt. Kamp denied sending the messages, (redacted) provided screenshots as part of the investigation.”
Responding to the allegations in an interview with the outlet, Kamp was critical of the investigation telling reporters, “This wasn’t a full investigation.” He added, “It was not a complete investigation… I think the text messages you’re referring to are completely taken out of context.” The texts Kamp referenced reportedly showed him discussing sex with the female officer, making comments about her body, stating that he was aroused and asking her to “give him a heads up the next time she was going to wear yoga pants,” according to ABC15 with the alleged harassment taking place from 2020-2021.
Then-Lieutenant Kamp retired from the Phoenix Police Department in September of that year.
The alleged harassment was reported by the rookie officer in early 2022 leading to a formal complaint and the subsequent investigation by the Phoenix EOD.
The outlet also obtained records showing that Kamp was suspended from the force for one day in 2014 for “improperly accessing a confidential law enforcement database without a legitimate criminal justice purpose.” He was further reprimanded for the repeated use of his assigned city vehicle for personal use in 2013 according to ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing.
Arizona Rep. David Schweikert shared the shocking July Consumer Price Index (CPI) report of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that utterly shatters any narrative suggesting that the economy has recovered and inflation is abating. Citing the Bureau, Schweikert’s office noted that consumer prices are up 0.2% month-over-month and 2.9% compared to 2023. This requires the average family to spend $13,138 more per year to maintain the same lifestyle they enjoyed in 2021, while real average weekly earnings dropped 3.9%.
Most damningly, per the report, Cumulative CPI inflation (not seasonally adjusted) is up a devastating 20.2% with the American people effectively losing one-fifth of their buying power since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took power in 2021.
It's no wonder that consumers have declining confidence in President Biden and Vice President Harris to improve their financial standing after 3.5 years of economic calamity.
— Joint Economic Committee Republicans (@JECRepublicans) August 14, 2024
In several states, the cumulative inflation is significantly higher still. In the states of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada, all key states in the 2024 Presidential election, cumulative inflation stands at 21.8%, and cumulative additional costs are the highest in the nation with Colorado’s the worst at $36,703 per average household. Colorado is exceeded only by Washington, D.C. where the cost increase is a staggering $41,313 per household. Arizonans have spent $32,625 more due to cumulative inflation.
Schweikert said in the statement:
“Though hardworking Americans received positive news this morning that inflation continued to slow in July, overall prices are still up more than 20% and real average weekly earnings are down 3.9% since the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration.
From Day One, this administration’s radical agenda has been a rubber stamp for growth-slowing tax hikes and runaway inflationary spending that have dramatically reduced Americans’ purchasing power and standard of living. It’s no wonder that consumers have declining confidence in President Biden and Vice President Harris to improve their financial standing after three-and-a-half years of economic calamity.”
The congressman’s office summarized the lengthy report, finding that food prices have increased 22% since January and energy costs have skyrocketed over 40%.
According to the JEC State Inflation Tracker, the average U.S. household was forced to spend $1,095 more in July, or $13,138 more per year, to maintain the same consumption basket they had in January 2021.
Headline CPI-U inflation increased 0.2% m/m and 2.9% y/y.
Core CPI-U inflation increased 0.2% m/m and 3.2% y/y.
Since January 2021:
Headline CPI-U inflation has increased 20.2%.
Core CPI-U inflation has increased 18.3%.
The food price index has increased 22%.
The energy price index has increased 40.2%.
Real average weekly earnings for all employees have decreased by 3.9%.
On the national inflation tracker, measuring the additional monthly cost for the average U.S. household since January 2021, Arizona placed 11th, well above the national average. The five states that enjoyed the smallest cost increases due to inflation were Arkansas, Oklahoma, Maine, West Virginia, and Louisiana.
On August 2, the Joint Economic Committee Republicans also reported that per the July jobs report, only 114,000 new jobs were added to the economy, well short of the 175,000 projected, and unemployment has increased to 4.3%, further indicating a weakening economy. A week prior, in a fiery speech to a largely empty House, Schweikert sarcastically congratulated Congress for the gross national debt passing $35 trillion.
Our gross national debt passed $35 trillion on Monday.
The math isn’t partisan.
It’s not Republican, nor is it Democrat.
Doing the math is MORAL. We need to be willing to have hard conversations to save future generations. And it starts by putting batteries in the calculator. pic.twitter.com/ORAryaBqKr
Republican Myron Lizer, a former Vice President of the Navajo Nation, announced his endorsement of Arizona GOP Senate Nominee Kari Lake in a statement released Wednesday.
In the statement provided to AZ Free News, Lizer wrote, “Having Kari Lake’s support for our community as a senator is invaluable and incredibly encouraging to see this as an opportunity for increased congressional engagement with the Navajo Nation. Her presence here is not just symbolic; it reflects her genuine commitment to our people and our issues. Kari Lake has unfinished business, and I wholeheartedly welcome her continued presence and efforts on behalf of the Navajo Nation as she runs for Senate.”
I am honored to be endorsed by small business owner and the 10th Vice President of the Navajo Nation, Myron Lizer.
For far too long, our native community has been ignored by congressmen and senators who delivered them NOTHING but broken promises. Under the America First policies… pic.twitter.com/mY2adcufKC
Lake responded in a post to X thanking Vice President Lizer. She wrote, “I am honored to be endorsed by small business owner and the 10th Vice President of the Navajo Nation, Myron Lizer.
For far too long, our native community has been ignored by congressmen and senators who delivered them NOTHING but broken promises. Under the America First policies of President Trump, our tribes flourished. They can and will have that peace and prosperity again.
Myron supports me because he knows I will be a strong voice for ALL Arizonans, including our native community, in Washington DC.”
Lizer and other Navajo Nation leaders met with Lake, Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ02), and campaign officials for President Donald Trump at St. Michaels, Arizona, on Tuesday, describing the event on X as “a great night… on the Great Navajo Nation!” He tagged Crane and Lake saying, “you all have tremendous support up here in northeastern AZ!!”
Lizer shared photos of the event and a post from the Trump campaign’s Kally Rael who wrote, “@TeamTrump, @KariLake and @EliCraneAZ met with Navajo Nation leaders from around the tribe for an intimate discussion on Navajo history, conservative values and the negative impacts caused by the incompetency of the Biden/Harris administration. A special thank you to Mr Tom Ranger and @NN_MyronLizer such a wonderful evening. Yéigo Trump!”
Lizer, served as Vice President of the Navajo tribal government from 2018-2023 under former Navajo President and Democrat Jonathan Nez. He is a well-known supporter of President Donald Trump and launched the Native Americans for Trump coalition in Williams, Arizona, with Donald Trump, Jr. in 2020. Nez is currently running to unseat Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ) in the second district. Lizer launched a primary campaign against Crane but did not gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot.
Former Governor of Arizona Doug Ducey announced Tuesday that he has officially endorsed both President Donald Trump and Republican Senate nominee Kari Lake. Ducey, also a Republican, had previously placed himself at odds with Trump and Lake supporters after his certification of the state’s Electoral College slate in 2020 and has been relatively quiet on the political stage since leaving office in 2023 due to term limits.
Ducey wrote in a post to X, “Much is on the line this election year & I’m encouraging all eligible Arizonans to vote & prioritize the issues that most affect our state & nation. I will be voting for Republicans up & down the ballot in November — and both Donald Trump and Kari Lake have my endorsement.”
Much is on the line this election year & I’m encouraging all eligible Arizonans to vote & prioritize the issues that most affect our state & nation.
I will be voting for Republicans up & down the ballot in November — and both Donald Trump and Kari Lake have my endorsement. 1/
In a thread following the initial post, the former Governor gave several reasons for his endorsement. He wrote, “The border must be secured,” sharing reporting from Fox’s Bill Melugin that new DHS data showed 99 illegal aliens on the FBI terror watchlist were released into the US.
He added, “Inflation must be tamed,” and shared an RNC Research post showing Biden Press Secretary Karinne Jean-Pierre claiming that Biden “inherited” an “economy that was on the downturn.”
Turning to foreign affairs, Ducey wrote, “America must be respected around the globe and World War III must be avoided,” and presented a Republican Jewish Coalition report stating, “Kamala Harris is open to an ARMS EMBARGO against Israel as the Jewish state fights a war for its very survival against Iran and its terrorist proxies.”
Pointing to Democrats’ proposals to modify the Supreme Court to meet its political needs Ducey said, “The Supreme Court should not be restructured by Chuck Schumer.”
Moving back to more domestic affairs such as the economy and education, he added that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a landmark piece of GOP legislation which Sen. Pat Toomey called “the most successful tax reform in at least 30 years,” “must be extended and made permanent.” And sharing a Trump campaign video from a Columbia, SC, rally in which Trump vowed, “I will fight for universal SCHOOL CHOICE,” he added, “School choice must be supported.”
Finally, Ducey concluded, “Differences aside, there is too much on the line and only a Republican in the White House and a majority in the House and US Senate can ensure it.”
The group Republicans Against Trump, who may have hoped that Ducey would either sit out the 2024 campaign or oppose Trump, replied to the former Governor with scorn writing, “Have you no shame?”
Have you no shame?
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 13, 2024
Trump and Ducey have long been at odds after the then-Governor infamously ignored a phone call from the President during his televised certification of Arizona’s Electoral College slate. Trump blasted the decision in a tweet saying, “Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office, especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now. @OANN What is going on with @dougducey? Republicans will long remember!”
Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office, especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now. @OANN What is going on with @dougducey? Republicans will long remember! https://t.co/XILGaHcyw7
As of this report, Trump has not made a public statement regarding Ducey’s endorsement.
Ducey also opposed Lake at a critical juncture after the 2022 gubernatorial campaign when he refuted Lake’s allegations on the integrity of the election. He had supported Lake’s opponent Karrin Taylor Robson and told CNN’s “State of the Union,” “Kari Lake is misleading voters with no evidence. She’s been tagged by her opponents with a nickname, Fake Lake, which seems to be sticking and actually doing some damage,” per Politico.
Lake however, officially acknowledged Ducey’s endorsement and even praised his administration in a post to X writing, “For eight years, Governor @DougDucey transformed our economy and our education system. He made Arizona a destination again. But radical Democrats like Ruben Gallego want to take that away. Doug Ducey supports me because he knows it’s never been more important to unite all Arizonans and win big in November. Thank you, Governor!”
For eight years, Governor @DougDucey transformed our economy and our education system. He made Arizona a destination again.
But radical Democrats like Ruben Gallego want to take that away.
Doug Ducey supports me because he knows it's never been more important to unite all… pic.twitter.com/p8dkrXrGeA
Lake’s gracious acceptance was met with some trepidation by her followers on the platform though, with some commenting, “Is that a good thing?” “That’s not an endorsement to be proud of,” and “I would shy away from that endorsement.”
