Trump town hall in oaks expo center in Montgomery County starts

OAKS — Crowds continued filing into line at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and Fairgrounds at Oaks in Upper Providence Township hours before former President Donald Trump was expected to take the stage.

Organizers expected upwards of 5,000 people to attend the town hall. The music was playing as vendors displayed a variety of merchandise available for sale. Attendees donned America flags and merchandise featuring "Make American Great Again," a signature slogan of the former Republican president.

Some were there as early as 5 a.m. in hopes of getting one of the first spots inside the convention center. Tickets had to be reserved online in advance.

Spirits were high with a little more than a half-hour until the doors opened.

While reasoning for attendance varied from person to person, all agreed on the need to share their support for Trump.

This is Trump's second visit to the Philadelphia region in two weeks. He held a rally on Oct. 9 at Santander Arena in Reading. His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, held a town hall in Berks Saturday and is expected to hold a town hall in Montgomery County on Tuesday.

Trump's opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, is scheduled to appear in Philadelphia on Wednesday, per media reports . She also is slated to hold a CNN town hall in Delaware County Oct. 23.

The candidates' focus on the region in Philadelphia and the surrounding collar counties shows the importance of key battleground areas in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania is a swing state and we really need to support," said an attendee from East Norriton.