Former President Trump To Rally In PA For Mastriano And Dr. Oz

WILKES-BARRE, PA — Days after President Joe Biden's primetime speech in Philadelphia about democracy, former President Donald Trump will return to the state in an effort to rally support for Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz and gubernaotiral candidate Doug Mastriano.

It's Trump's first general election campaign visit to the state of the 2022 season. His arrival signals both the importance of the state to Trump as he positions for a potential 2024 run, and the priority he's placing on these two races, both so crucial to the balance of power in Pennsylvania and U.S. Congress for the coming years.

The rally will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.

Pennsylvania State Police said to expect traffic delays on I-81 and near exit 168. Local and state police are working the Secret Service to provide additional security in the area for the event.

Pennsylvania remains on the direct path to the White House as a key battleground state, and home too to some of the staunchest election denial claims levied during the fallout from 2020.

A recent Emerson College poll gave Trump a five point lead in Pennsylvania over Biden in a potential 2024 matchup. But it's 2022 on the docket now, and Trump will need to rally his populist base into action if Oz or Mastriano hope to win. Both trail by notable amounts, according to an aggregate of recent polls from RealClearPolitics.

Oz trails Lt. Gov. John Fetterman by 6.5 points, and Mastriano trails Attorney General Josh Shapiro by 6 points.

Biden zeroed in on the threats to democracy he said were posed by "Trumpism" and the MAGA led far-right.

"Too much of what's happening in our country today is not normal," Biden said. "Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic."

The Wilkes-Barre event will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, located on 255 Highland Park Boulevard.