Trump “Devastated” to Cancel First Rally Since Hush Money Trial Began

Former President Donald Trump said he is “devastated” to cancel a campaign stop in North Carolina on Saturday—his first rally since his New York hush money trial began this week.

Some supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) leader waited hours before the event was called off due to weather. Doors opened for attendees at 3 p.m. and Trump was slated to speak at the rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, a crucial battleground state in the 2024 election, around 7 p.m.

However, roughly 30 minutes before he was sent to appear, Trump called into the outdoor rally from his private jet and asked everyone to leave immediately due to safety concerns as lightning flashed overhead.

“I’m devastated that this could happen, but we want to keep everybody safe,” Trump said. “It’s the most important thing and we want everybody there to be 100 percent safe. There seems to be some thunder and lightning and it’s a pretty big storm. So if you don’t mind, I think we’re gonna have to just do a rain check. I’m so sad. I’m in North Carolina right now. Waiting to go in. But they’re saying the weather is really getting bad, really, really getting bad. So we have to rely on the Weather Service and some of the officials and I just want to thank you, I’m so sorry. But we’ll do it again. It will do it bigger and better.”

Trump and President Joe Biden have both clinched the nominations of the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively, and the rivals are set for a White House rematch in November. However, the all-but-assured 2020 rematch is an unpopular one, with voters routinely telling pollsters that they believe that neither one should be seeking another term for various reasons.

Newsweek reached out via email on Saturday night to Trump’s representatives for comment.

This is a developing news story and will be updated.