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Donald Trump campaigns in Tucson

Former President Donald Trump will hold his first post-debate campaign rally in Tucson on Thursday, focusing on housing and the economy in Arizona's second-largest city.

The trip is Trump's second visit to the battleground state of Arizona in the past month, shortly after confrontations with Vice President Kamala Harris during the debate on Tuesday night.

Trump will appear at a rally at Linda Ronstadt Music Hall at 2 p.m., his campaign said. Second presidential candidate Doug Emhoff will hold a competing political event in Tucson the same day.

“President Trump will highlight Kamala Harris' disastrous policies that have wreaked havoc on the people of Arizona and explain the many reasons why Hispanic voters are flocking to the Republican Party,” the Trump campaign said in a written statement.

During his trip to Tucson, Trump may participate in his first debate against Harris. It could be the last time Trump and Harris meet on the debate stage, although the Harris campaign is seeking a second debate. Trump compared the dynamic on his platform Truth Social to “World of Boxing or UFC.”

“In the world of boxing or the UFC, when a fighter gets beat or knocked out, he stands up and screams, 'I DEMAND A REMATCH, I DEMAND A REMATCH!' Well, a debate is no different. She took a big beating last night. All the polls say we WIN, in one case 92-8, so why would I do a rematch?” Trump wrote.

However, even some Republicans criticized Trump's performance in the debate as erratic and ineffective. Early polls suggest Harris won the debate, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Polls show that the race for the White House in Arizona has tightened since Harris took over as the Democratic nominee from President Joe Biden. As a result, presidential candidates and their top campaign appointees now visit the state almost weekly.

Trump and Harris held large rallies at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale last month, and Trump even made a trip to the Arizona-Mexico border in Cochise County. Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, spent the pre-debate period campaigning in the Phoenix area. Trump's running mate, JD Vance, was in the state last week and held more events in early August.

When Trump first came to Tucson with his campaign in 2016, the rally turned violent. Eight years ago, a protester was punched and kicked as he was escorted out of the event. Trump came to the city again in 2020 for another campaign rally.

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