President Trump is canceling a rally in Mississippi in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.
“Regrettably, we must cancel the planned Make America Great Again rally in Jackson, Miss., this Friday, Michael Glassner, chief operating officer of Donald J. Trump for President Inc., said in a statement. “With Hurricane Florence on its way, we determined that this is the safest decision.”
{mosads}The president had planned a rally to support Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in their reelection bids this November.
Trump has endorsed both Hyde-Smith and Wicker.
“Cindy is honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and support in this year’s election,” Hyde-Smith’s campaign wrote in a statement Monday. “However, as our neighbors on the East Coast prepare for Hurricane Florence’s landfall, we agree with the decision to cancel this Friday’s rally.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in the path of the storm,” the statement concluded.
The hurricane was upgraded to a Category 4 storm early Monday afternoon, with sustained winds at 130 mph.
It is expected to develop into an extremely dangerous storm.
Hurricane Florence, which is currently headed toward North and South Carolina, is anticipated to make landfall late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) asked Trump on Monday to expedite an emergency declaration in anticipation of the storm’s arrival.