VANDALIA, Ohio — President Donald Trump attended two rallies in the Buckeye State focused on the American worker.
Trump hosted a rally at Wright Brothers Aero in Vandalia, which is near Dayton, Monday just before 6 p.m. with the theme "Fighting for the American Worker."
About 1,200 people gathered at Wright Brothers Aero for Trump’s Fighting for the American Worker Rally.
Later in the evening, he'll hold a “Great American Comeback Event” at Grand Aire, another fixed-based operator in Swanton near Toledo, at 7 p.m.
It was an exciting event for many supporters who traveled near and far to see the president speak, including Blake Wood who skipped school and traveled almost two hours just to be there.
“He has affected the economy in such a positive way and he’s backed the military, the police officers, especially with the movements that have happened over the summer with the pandemic and everything,” Wood said.
He’s not the only who traveled far to see the president speak. Osei Thomas and his friends drove nearly five hours from Kentucky. He, too, agreed the president is doing a great job to help American workers.
“Unemployment numbers going down, businesses are striving, and the economy is going good until the virus popped up and then we had issues,” said Thomas.
Stacey Holly made the trip all the way from West Virginia. She said her love for the president is unwavering.
“I’m proud that he loves the constitution, he loves America, and that he’s doing it for the people,” said Holly.
Of the 1,200 people in attendance, some wore masks and some did not.
Everyone who signed up for the rallies agreed to a disclaimer that said they voluntarily put themselves at risk for COVID-19.
“I’m not as much concerned,” said Wood. “I’m diabetic, I got asthma, I got allergies, and stuff. I’m a big guy. I’m supposed to watch myself.”
Thomas expressed similar sentiments.
“I choose not to live scared, because I feel like too many people live scared and tend to stay home,” said Thomas.
Later in the evening, he held a “Great American Comeback Event” at Grand Aire, another fixed-based operator in Swanton near Toledo.
The visit follows a stop from Vice President Mike Pence at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds in Zanesville on Wednesday, where he said Trump kept his promise to kickstart the economy and agreed Trump helped push the Big Ten to reinstate its football season.
“This president fought for jobs here, and he fought for college football," Pence said.
This wasn't the president's first trip to Ohio. In early August, he held a fundraiser in Cleveland, and then spoke at the Whirlpool plant in Clyde, trying to drive home is "buy American" initiative. He also held a rally in Toledo in January.
His opponent, Vice President Joe Biden, hasn't visited the state since March 10. However, Jill Biden plans to speak virtually to Ohio volunteers, for what the campaign is calling the largest action weekend.
The candidates are in a tight race in Ohio. Currently, Trump holds a not even 2 percent lead over Biden, according to FiveThirtyEight. The narrow lead follows a trend since April. Up until August, Biden held the lead by no more than 3 percent.
To fuel the race, both candidates are investigating millions in advertising in the state. The Trump campaign and allies have so far invested $22 million in advertisements, whereas the Biden campaign and their allies have invested $9 million, according to data from the ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics and analyzed by NPR.
As Trump prepares for his visit to Swanton, he'll be near another key battleground state: Michigan. When it comes to advertisments there, the Biden campaign is on top by nearly $30 million.
Biden is currently leading Trump in Michigan by 8 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight.