President to make second visit to West Virginia in two weeks

Published 4:25 pm Thursday, August 3, 2017

President Donald Trump will make his second visit in under two weeks to West Virginia with a Thursday campaign rally in Huntington.

Trump’s rally will begin at 7 p.m. at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

Last week, Trump addressed more than 40,000 Boy Scouts, leaders and volunteers in a controversial speech at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.

Groups, including a coalition of 13 area citizens action groups, are scheduled to protest Thursday’s rally. According to a news release from the coalition, demonstrators will meet in Huntington from 4 to 7 p.m.

Coalition sponsors include Women’s March West Virginia: Huntington Huddle, For Ohio’s Future, march for Science Huntington, Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Rise Up WV, Service Employees International Union District 1199, Summers County Huddle, Tri State Indivisible, West Virginia Citizen Action Group, West Virginia Indivisible, West Virginia Progressive Alliance, and Wood County Indivisible.

“Tri-State Indivisible protests this president’s nearly constant attacks on our democracy in both his violent language and policies that widen the gap between the haves and have nots,” Jeanette Rowsey, coordinator for the organization said in the release.

Groups in the coalition represent varied interests with particular concerns centering on repealing the Affordable Care Act.

“We’ve been particularly active in encouraging calls to representatives discouraging repeal of the ACA or Obamacare,” Amie Maynard, protest coordinator for Women’s March West Virginia in Huntington, said in the release. “It’s one of many issues affecting women in this state and the protest is yet another opportunity to voice our opposition.” 

Big Sandy Superstore Arena has seating for 9,000 people. No estimates for attendance were available as of Wednesday morning.

Tickets were being issued through President Trump’s website.

The last sitting U.S. president to visit Huntington was President George W. Bush in 2004.

Lannom writes for the Beckley, West Virginia Register-Herald.