Former President Donald Trump will celebrate his birthday Friday night in West Palm Beach, Fla., not far from his Mar-a-Lago resort, with some of his most fervent supporters.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president, now 78, will address members of his “Club 47” fan group at a sold-out birthday bash at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
Festively clad backers of the 45th president, who paid between $25 and $60 to attend the rally, were spotted gathering at the venue in their Trump gear hours before the 7 p.m. speech.
At least two Trump supporters appeared to have fainted in the Florida heat while waiting to get inside. One man in a “Trump” shirt was attended to by paramedics, while another woman was spotted laying in the parking lot and being fanned with a “Trump 2024” cowboy hat.
The “feels like” temperature reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit in West Palm Beach Friday, as South Florida tries to dry out from several days of drenching rain and flooding.
Inside the convention center, a “Happy Birthday” banner noting that Trump was “Born in the USA on Flag Day” was placed behind the stage by organizers ahead of the former president’s appearance.
Club 47 President Larry Snowden said members of the group expected Trump to address the May 30 guilty verdict in his Manhattan hush money trial.
“Our people are anxious to hear his expression of his commitment to move ahead,” Snowden told the Associated Press. “I know that he is committed to continue to move ahead no matter what the left-wing side of our country throws at him.”
Trump signaled last week that he was not looking forward to marking his latest lap around the sun.
“There’s a certain point at which you don’t want to hear ‘Happy Birthday,’” he told supporters at a Las Vegas rally Sunday after they broke out in song ahead of his big day.
“You just want to pretend the day doesn’t exist,” he added.
Trump, however, seemed pleased Thursday when a room full of congressional Republicans belted out “Happy Birthday” and gifted him a baseball and bat from the annual Congressional Baseball Game – won by the GOP for the fourth straight year – as well as an American flag cake with both a “45” and “47” candle.
“He loved it,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters of Trump’s reaction when he placed the “4” and “7” numerals on the cake.
“We’re all committed to make sure he becomes the 47th president,” the senator added.
Meanwhile, President Biden’s campaign shared a list of 78 Trump “accomplishments” to mark the special occasion.
The list included numerous references to Trump’s legal battles and some of his failed business ventures.