LIVE BLOG: President Trump rallies in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Donald Trump campaigned for re-election with a visit to Cecil Airport in Jacksonville on Thursday evening.

Trump said he doesn’t believe the man he calls ‘Sleepy Joe’ will be so sleepy when they hold their first debate. Trump said Joe Biden’s aides will give him a big shot of something before Tuesday’s debate, and that will give Biden so much energy, he’ll be like Superman for about 15 minutes.

Trump also told the crowd at Cecil Airport that Biden’s economic plan will crush Florida, but if Trump is reelected, prosperity will surge. Trump also predicted victory in what he calls the most important election in the history of our country.

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5:30 p.m. - Mayor Lenny Curry spoke at the rally, talking about when his first met Trump back in 2012.

5 p.m. - Protesters against Trump were kicked out of the rally. There are also protesters outside of Cecil Field.

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4:30 p.m. - The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office states that Aviation Avenue is backed up to 103rd Street.

4 p.m. - Doors officially opened for the rally. Hundreds of people lined up and even more were arriving and parking.

11:30 a.m. - Vice President Joe Biden released a statement ahead of Trump’s visit to Jacksonville.

"Since President Trump’s last visit to Florida just two weeks ago, over 40,000 more Floridians have tested positive for coronavirus and the state marked 13,000 COVID-related deaths. Black Floridians in Duval County are being hit especially hard by this pandemic, where the number of cases is 2.6 times higher for Black residents than white residents, small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, and families are reeling from the loss of loved ones. President Trump’s focus is not on ending this crisis, though; he’s instead fighting to get the U.S. Supreme Court to tear down the entire Affordable Care Act, including its protections for as many as 7.8 million Floridians with pre-existing conditions. If he succeeds, insurers could deny coverage for Floridians with lasting COVID-19 complications.

President Trump does not have a plan, but I do — to beat COVID-19, build our economy back better, and protect and build upon the Affordable Care Act by giving Americans more choice, reducing health care costs, and making our health care system less complex to navigate."

10 a.m. - Supporters were already seen lining up early Thursday morning at Cecil Airport ahead of the rally. Temperature checks are being done and masks are asked to be worn. Masks will be given out.

Nick Seabrook with the University of North Florida told WOKV that Trump visiting Jacksonville is a chance for him to gain traction in a key swing state as the November election gets closer.

“I think the significance is that Duval County is really important for this election because it’s a swing county in really the most important swing state,” says Seabrook, who works as an associate professor of public administration at UNF."

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Cox Media Group