Former President Donald Trump’s plan to hold a campaign rally in Coachella this weekend has sparked strong reactions from local leaders, including Coachella’s mayor, who made it clear that the MAGA leader’s values do not align with the community’s. Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at the rally on Saturday at 5 p.m., targeting the Biden administration, specifically Vice President Kamala Harris, and blaming Democrats for economic struggles in California. told by Newsweek.
In a news release announcing the rally, the Trump campaign criticized Harris and the Democrats, stating, “Under Kamala Harris and her dangerous Democrat allies, the notorious ‘California Dream’ has turned into a nightmare for everyday Americans.” The release cited rising housing costs, soaring gas prices, and inflation as examples of how California has become, in their view, a place of hardship rather than opportunity. “If this is the California Dream, it’s every American’s worst nightmare,” the campaign added.
The announcement of Trump’s visit was met with surprise, as California is not typically seen as a swing state for the 2024 election. Local officials were quick to respond, and many were vocal in their disapproval of the former president’s planned rally in the area.
Steve Hernandez, the mayor of Coachella, home to the world-famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, expressed strong opposition to Trump’s upcoming visit. “The City of Coachella was proud to welcome Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2020 primary election, but news of former President Trump’s upcoming visit has been met very differently,” Hernandez said, according to California City News. He continued, “Trump’s attacks on immigrants, women, the LGBTQ community, and the most vulnerable among us don’t align with the values of our community. He has consistently expressed disdain for the type of diversity that helps define Coachella. We don’t know why Trump is visiting Coachella, but we know he wasn’t invited by the people who live here. He ain’t like us.” report from The Hill.
Other local officials echoed Hernandez’s concerns. Indio City Councilmember Waymond Fermon expressed his worries about Trump’s impact on the community, calling him “a threat to our needs and to democracy itself.”
Political strategist Mike Madrid, co-founder of The Lincoln Project and a former official with the California Republican Party, suggested that Trump’s visit may have more to do with optics than genuine campaign outreach. “He isn’t just rallying in Riverside County,” Madrid said. “He’s using it as an ad for Fox News. Rallying in a deep blue state with a lot of Latinos is exactly the message he wants to convey.”
As Trump prepares for his rally, the tension in Coachella highlights a deep divide between the former president and the diverse communities in the region, with many local leaders making it clear that his presence is far from welcome.
