Despite the turnout of thousands of Donald Trump supporters on Friday, Oct. 2, to the University of South Alabama's Mitchell Center to hear the president rally support for state and federal Republicans facing opposition this November, not everyone in town was happy with the direction the United States has taken since he returned to office.

Just around the corner on Old Shell Road, in front of Shaky Crepe, a group of around 30 protesters gathered to object to Trump and his second administration on the side of the road. The group included both the Mobile and Baldwin County chapters of Indivisible, a group that has long protested Trump since his return, along with members of South Baldwin Democrats and the American Coalition for Immigrant Justice.

“As soon as I heard the news, I knew I was gonna be here,” M.K. Smith said.

When Denise Judge heard that Trump was coming to Mobile, she said her first reaction was “disgust.”

“What the heck does he want to do when he does come?” Judge said. “I’ve heard his others, and he can’t really spin a whole sentence together. I would not need to hear anything he had to say. I’m more about raising awareness that he doesn’t need to be here. He doesn’t need to be president. My sign says ‘Impeach, Convict and Remove.’ That’s my goal, and if we don’t move quick, I feel like we’re already under some fascism and authoritarianism, so the window’s closing. It’s very scary.”

Protesters held up signs criticizing Trump and elected officials in Alabama, yelling things like “Trump is a rapist” and chanting “Shame” as Trump supporters walked by on their way to the rally.

Among them was Clyde Jones, a Daphne resident and the Democratic nominee for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District. His opponent, Carl, has declined to debate Jones ahead of November’s midterm elections.

“I think it’s important that people see the candidates out here because of what’s going on in this country,” Jones said. “Obviously, you know, bringing the president here in Mobile, they feel like it’s a huge benefit to the GOP, but I think it’s also motivating the voters on the other side of the aisle, too, so again, I think it’s important for me to be out here as a candidate because it’s important for people to stand up, you know. I spent 21 years defending the Constitution, serving in the military, so part of our Constitution is our First Amendment rights and our rights to protest and all that, so I think it’s extremely important to be able to protest peacefully and to get your point across, so I think it’s a great day to be here to protest.”

A larger group of around 200 protesters, consisting mostly of students at the University of South Alabama, also marched to the Mitchell Center in the afternoon to object Trump and his presence on campus. Hours after Trump’s rally concluded, the Mobile division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in coordination with other federal and local authorities, said three people were arrested for allegedly making threatening communications toward the president.

Despite what some see as an uphill battle in a Republican stronghold, Democrats in Alabama are hoping for a blue wave in November.

“We have the most Democratic slate of candidates that we’ve ever had on the ballot, and it’s a very reassuring thing for me to know that there’s a lot of balance, there’s a lot to choose (from) on this ballot,” Judge said. “If people would just vote Democratic this one time.”

“Someone asked me the other day, ‘Have we taken a poll for my race?’ and we haven’t,” Jones said. “But every day when I go out, talking to people, I’m taking a poll, and the energy, the excitement, the enthusiasm I see with people looking forward to voting on Nov. 3, I hadn’t seen before, so I’m excited about that and I’m hoping that we have record numbers (and) turnout in Baldwin County and Mobile, Escambia and Covington counties, and I think we will. I think we really will.”

Supporters line up to see the president

Michele Legere arrived at the University of South Alabama’s campus at 2 a.m. as she waited to enter the school’s Health, Kinesiology & Sport building, where security checks for guests took place.

Legere, who came from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, said she has memorized many of Trump’s speeches and watches everything the White House posts on its YouTube channel. This isn’t the first rodeo for Legere, who said this is her fifth rally. She met Trump in New Orleans in 2023 and said he complimented her hair. She said she planned to sit in the bleachers behind the stage, hoping Trump would recognize her.

“I’m hoping that he sees my hair and goes, ‘Hey! I remember her!’” Legere said.

Not that far behind her in line, Katie Robison, who arrived at around 8:53 that morning, came from Winfield, Alabama, bringing her daughter, Addilynn, as part of a birthday celebration.

“I was laying in my bed on Facebook, and I was just scrolling through,” Robison recalled. “I happened to see there was a rally, and my daughter right here, she’s 9 years old. She is the biggest Trump fan I’ve ever seen, and for her birthday, that’s really the only thing she’s ever wanted in life, is to meet Donald Trump, so I said, ‘Well, I’ll try and get you at least to see him,’ so that’s the only reason why we came.”

They were among the few thousand of Trump supporters waiting in line ahead of the doors opening at around 2 p.m. Many of them were seen wearing apparel resembling the American flag or shirts with wording such as “Daddy’s Home,” featuring a picture of Trump standing in front of the White House, and “We are QAnon.”

One person was walking up and down the line selling rally pins that read “I Was There,” allowing those who purchased them to verify their attendance.

Trump speaks at the Mitchell Center

Within the Mitchell Center where the South Alabama Jaguars usually play basketball, people were anticipating the President of the United States.

After a mix of songs, including “Time To Say Goodbye,” featuring Andrea Bocelli with Sarah Brightman, and “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis, concluded, Trump walked onto the stage to a standing ovation as Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” played. About 75% of the building was full by the time Trump took the stage. According to the college's website, the venue holds 10,000 people.

Despite Alabama being a deeply reliable Republican state, having been won by Trump by large margins in the past three presidential elections, Trump said he came to Mobile to pay his respects.

“I’m here because really, you know, sometimes even though you don’t have to come here, you’ve got to pay respect to the people that have loved you every year,” Trump said. “So that’s the only reason I’m here, and on top of that, I come next week, too. I think watching a football game, and I like football. That’s big time. That’s called big-time college football.”

The football game he was referring to is when the Alabama Crimson Tide host the Georgia Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Oct. 10, a game that could likely have SEC Championship and College Football Playoff implications. In attendance for Trump’s rally were former Alabama tackle Wesley Britt, the husband of Sen. Katie Britt; former Alabama quarterback Jake Coker; and Alabama men’s basketball head coach Nate Oats.

In his speech, which lasted around an hour and 10 minutes, Trump talked about his agenda and accomplishments while criticizing both Democrats, whom he referred to as “dumb-o-crats,” and the “fake news media right back there,” which resulted in boos toward the press pool located on the opposite side of the ground floor from the stage.

While on stage, Trump reaffirmed his endorsements for state and federal candidates, bringing some of them on stage, including Barry Moore, who is running for the U.S. Senate, and Jerry Carl, who is running for his old, now redistricted, 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, along with other Republican allies such as state Rep. Rhett Marques, Katherine Robertson and John Wahl.

With the midterms approaching, Trump urged his supporters to back Moore and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor, saying to treat the midterms as if his name were on the ballot.

“When I’m not on the ballot, we don’t do well,” Trump said. “We have 44% or 48% less people. When I’m on the ballot, we get everybody, so just close your eyes and pretend I’m on the ballot because we are here. It’s the most important midterm election."

The president also reaffirmed his promise to give every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of Congress in the general election while also reiterating Moore’s suggestion that the I-10 bridge be named after him.

“Maybe I’ll be happy and they’ll name the damn bridge after me,” Trump said to vocal approval from the crowd.

With visits to Ohio and Nebraska planned over the next few days, Trump reassured those in attendance they are in “the golden age of America.”

“Together we will make America powerful again, we will make America wealthy again, we will make America healthy again, we will make America strong again, we will make America proud again, we will make America safe again, and, most importantly, we will make America great again,” Trump said at the end of his speech.

Candidates speak in support of Trump, I-10 bridge renaming

Jerry Carl was enthusiastic when he walked out from behind the curtains and onto the stage under red, white and blue lights, receiving a warm welcome from the crowd.

Carl was among the entourage of Alabama officials and candidates who made the trip to Mobile on Friday, Oct. 2, for a rally ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Those who were also in attendance included Katherine Robertson, the Republican nominee for attorney general; John Wahl, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor; and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor; along with U.S. Sen. Katie Britt and others.

At the center of the rally and on everyone’s minds was its headlining speaker: President Donald Trump.

Carl is the Republican nominee for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, having previously held the position from 2021 to 2025. When he first heard that Trump would be coming to the Port City, Carl said his reaction was, “Fantastic.”

“Just to be from Alabama, to have the president come and speak is huge,” Carl told GCM in Mobile on Friday. “Think about it. He’s been in Mobile three times over the past, what, 12 years? So we’re just excited to have him here and be part of it. He’s all of our presidents.”

Also in attendance for Friday’s rally was Barry Moore, who is currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District, which covers both Mobile and Baldwin counties. He vacated his opportunity to retain the seat to run for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat, where he received the Republican Party’s nomination following a runoff.

Moore, who has been a supporter of Trump since his first presidential campaign began in 2015, recalled Trump’s rally in Mobile in August 2015, saying the energy was exceptional while calling Friday a “great day for the state.”

He also mentioned that the Mobile I-10 River Bridge and Bayway Project officially broke ground earlier that day, with United States Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy in attendance. While on stage, Moore suggested that the bridge, which is expected to open in 2031, be named “The Gateway to the Gulf of America, the Donald J. Trump Bridge.”

“With the redistricting going on and everything that’s going on, I think it’s important to have the president here, and not only here, but all over the country, again, running on the message he’s a team player,” Moore had told GCM earlier. “He needs support in (Washington) D.C. to finish what we started."

Trump’s appearance in Mobile comes just weeks before a midterm election that will determine control of Congress, with both Republicans and Democrats racing to persuade voters.

“Out of the 435 House seats, there are about 18 that are in play in America,” Moore said on stage. “We need to hold six. Rhett’s (Marques) seat is one of those key votes.”

Despite the rally taking place within District 1, one of the primary talking points was the race for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District seat, with many speakers on stage, such as Moore, calling it a vital race to win in order to keep a Republican majority in Congress.

State Rep. Rhett Marques, the Republican nominee, faces Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures. Polling has suggested that the District 2 race might be more competitive than expected, with the Cook Political Report changing its designation on the District 2 race from “solid” Republican to “likely” Republican in late June, where it has remained since. Meanwhile, the Cook Political Report has listed District 1 as “solid” Republican.

“If Democrats take control, they’ll make you poorer and your families less safe,” Marques said. “In Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, the choice on the ballot truly comes down to two things: craziness versus common sense. It’s that simple.”

The race comes after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use a state-backed congressional map amid a tug of war between the state and courts after Black voters and civil rights groups sued the state, saying its map is racially discriminatory. Katherine Robertson, the Republican nominee for attorney general, called the race is “absolutely critical” and talked about her work in the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in maintaining a state-backed congressional map for the upcoming midterms.

“The original map, drawn by Alabamians and for Alabamians, is now the law, and that’s why Rhett Marques will win this race,” Robertson said.