Having a ticket to attend President Donald Trump's reelection kick-off rally in Orlando on Tuesday does not mean you are actually going to get into the Amway center arena to see him, a campaign spokesperson said today.
[RELATED: President Trump to announce re-election bid at Orlando rally | President Trump says Orlando announcement 'hottest ticket of them all']
National Press Secretary for the Trump 2020 campaign Kayleigh McEnany, in a statement provided to News 6 partner Florida Today said “Orlando rally entry is on a first-come, first -serve basis, so a ticket doesn’t necessarily guarantee entry."
Yesterday morning in a tweet, President Trump boasted that some 74,000 tickets have been requested for the arena which has a capacity of just 20,000.
"With all of the big events that we have done, this ticket looks to be the “hottest” of them all," the President wrote on Twitter.
Wow! Just got word that our June 18th, Tuesday, ANNOUNCEMENT in Orlando, Florida, already has 74,000 requests for a 20,000 seat Arena. With all of the big events that we have done, this ticket looks to be the “hottest” of them all. See you in Florida!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2019
"There will be screens outside the venue to watch the rally once capacity is reached,” McEnany said in her statement which also noted that a "Trump tailgater" would be held outside from 10 am.
Brevard County Republican Chairman Rick Lacey saw no alternative unless the campaign were to charge for tickets.
"We understand that there’s an awful lot of people that are excited to see the President," he said, noting that his own organization has filled up two 55-seat buses set to depart at noon, charging rally goers $38 round-trip.
“I’d be happy if they could move it to the Citrus Bowl,” Lacey added with a laugh, before noting that the indoor arena is better for some of the older attendees, including veterans he will be busing.
“In lieu of a larger solution, I think that people understand that he’s very popular here in Florida,” he said.
Tickets were still available on the campaign website as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to Florida Today.
Why would the campaign issue more tickets than there are seats available? No official reason has been given so far, but political campaigns are always eager to find new ways to add supporters' names to their databases.
Those seeking tickets to the rally are required to provide a cell phone number and email address on the campaign website. Such information is used by campaigns to forward political messages, solicit contributions and ask for volunteer campaign workers.