President Donald Trump to hold rally in Phoenix

PHOENIX — Donald Trump will visit Arizona as the president for the first time next week.

The president’s re-election campaign announced a rally will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center on Aug. 22.

In the past the president has used Phoenix to address immigration issues. In an August speech, he unveiled a 10-point immigration plan.

Earlier this month, Trump publicly backed the Reforming American immigration for Strong Employment Act that would tighten the number of legal immigrants allowed to enter the United States and change the green card system to one based on merit.

“This competitive application process will favor applicants who can speak English, financially support themselves and their families and demonstrate skills that can contribute to our economy,” Trump said during a press conference.

He also has strong ties to former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The president said earlier this week in a TV interview that he was considering granting the ex-lawman a pardon of a criminal contempt conviction.

Trump said Arpaio was “a great American patriot and I hate to see what has happened to him.” Arpaio, 85, could face up to six months in jail after a federal judge found him guilty in July of continuing immigration patrols after he was told to stop.

On Tuesday the president held an event at Trump Tower in New York that ended with a press conference where he took questions on many topics, including his stance on what happened in Charlottesville in recent days.

“There are two sides to a story,” he said. He added that some facts about the violence still weren’t known.

The trip to Phoenix will come after a 17-day vacation the president has called a “working vacation.” During the two-week break from the White House he has made multiple public appearances, including one to address North Korea’s continued attempt at testing missiles.

Trump has held several rallies around the country since his January inauguration.

The event in Phoenix will start at 7 p.m., doors open at 4 p.m. Tickets can be ordered online.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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