TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A thriller is following former President Trump’s cease in Tucson final week. Several supporters have stated they had been left quickly blind following the rally on the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall.
The former president and present Republican nominee made his first cease after the September 10 presidential debate proper right here in Tucson.
People had been lined up for hours forward of the occasion, and tons of needed to be turned away.
According to the City of Tucson, over 40 requires heat-related sickness had been made. Attendees situated contained in the music corridor declare they confronted well being points as nicely.
KGUN sat down with two Trump supporters who say they needed to go to the emergency room after the rally, after which reached out to metropolis officers to attempt to discover out what occurred.
Supporters had been enthusiastic to attend former President Donald Trump’s first rally in Tucson since 2020.
“Halfway through the dinner, her eyes started watering really bad. She was just tearing up,” Eli stated.
“It was horrible. On a scale from one to 10, it was an eight or nine. It was unbearable,” Fransena stated.
Eli and Fransena Moreno had been simply two of the roughly 50 individuals allowed on stage throughout Trump’s rally. And whereas the rally had a number of heat-related calls, it wasn’t till afterward that Fransena says she seen one thing was incorrect.
“Symptoms were the red face, red neck, and that was painful, but not as much as my eyes. My eyes were my concern,” Fransena stated.
Later that evening, they made the decision to get assist.
“It got to the point where she told me, ‘You have to take me to the ER.’ And when she tells me that she has to go to the ER, I know it's serious,” Eli stated.
The Trump marketing campaign responded to the stories:
“The Trump campaign has been collecting information. We remain committed to the countless patriots that attend our high-energy, high-impact rallies across the country,” Danielle Alvarez, senior advisor for the Trump marketing campaign, stated.
Now the query is, what induced this?
“I don't think it was the lights, because lights won't cause me to have pain in my nostrils when I'm with someone who has been perhaps exposed to something at this point,” Eli stated.
But what concerning the different facet of the stage?
“Nobody that sat where I sat, on my side of the stage, had any ill effects. So it was isolated to the other side of the stage,” stated Kathleen Winn, who ran for Congress towards Juan Ciscomani within the GOP major.
The City of Tucson did affirm to KGUN {that a} non-public firm was introduced in to deal with the lighting, saying in a press release, “The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall stage lights were not used.”
“The City and the Tucson Convention Center management checked in with Tucson Police and Tucson Fire Department (TPD/TFD) paramedic teams that were on site on the day of the event. Neither police nor paramedics received or responded to complaints of any type of eye injuries or facial burning as described in some media reports,” town of Tucson official stated.
The official additionally stated the HVAC system was comprehensively serviced, repaired, and cleaned, together with the duct system, when the music corridor was getting upgrades in 2021.
“The filters are changed every quarter and were last changed in the Music Hall on Aug. 28, 2024.”
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Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his faculty tenure on the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake labored for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is worked up to return to a spot he calls dwelling and provides again to the group during which he grew up. Share your story concepts and vital points with Blake by emailing [email protected].
