My Washington, D.C., sources say President Donald Trump considered a rally in Pensacola this Friday but chose Daytona instead. The rally will be held in the Ocean Center, which holds 9,300 to 9,440 people, starting at 5:30 p.m. EST, with President Trump scheduled to take the stage at 7 p.m. EST.
Finding a location for the rally in Pensacola proved challenging. The Ice Flyers have a home game, so there will be ice on the Pensacola Bay Center’s floor—which ruled it out. Another possibility was one of the ST Engineering hangars at the Pensacola International Airport.
Trump has held rallies twice in ST hangars:
During the 2018 Midterms, he held a MAGA Rally on Nov. 3 to urge voters to turn out for Republicans in the Tuesday, Nov. 6 general election. Vice President Pence also spoke, and Ron DeSantis and Casey DeSantis joined them.
- During the 2020 election cycle, Trump made a campaign stop with Congressman Matt Gaetz and State Rep. Alex Andrade speaking. It followed the final presidential debate and was part of a Friday swing that also had a stop in The Villages.
Bush Came to Pensacola during the 2006 Midterms
The day before the 2006 general election, President George W. Bush held a rally in the Pensacola Bay Center. Bush’s approval rating hovered around 38%—Trump’s rating hit a low of 32% this month. Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist was in a tight race with Democrat Jim Davis and made a last-minute call not to attend the Pensacola rally – after Air Force One was in the air.
- Republican hopeful for the U.S. Senate, Katherine Harris, literally crashed the event. The morning of the rally, Harris held a gathering at The Coffee Cup—similar to Byron Donalds stop at Jerry’s Drive In on Monday but smaller. She faced Sen. Bill Nelson, the Democratic incumbent.
Meanwhile, President Bush handed out the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Honor Bell at a ceremony at the Naval Air Station. (Note: To help Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger’s campaign, the Committee to Protect Florida accused the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola of being “Pro DEI” because it let Bell speak in March 2026.)
Nearly 10,000 people attended the rally. The Sawmill Band from Chumuckla performed. The morning team from WXBM-FM, Linda Lawrence and Marty White, served as the emcees. Harris spoke for about five minutes, drew a small applause before she was rushed off the stage.
- Davis made a campaign stop at Allen AME Chapel in downtown Pensacola the night of Bush’s rally. He accused Crist of being afraid to stand on stage with a president with such a low approval rating.
2006 Election Results
Governor
Charlie Crist 2,519,845 (52.2%)
Jim Davis 2,178,289 (45.1%)
U.S. Senate
Bill Nelson 2,890,548 (60.3%)
Katherine Harris 1,826,127 (38.1%)
That would have been awesome.