Thousands Attend Trump Rally in Mobile, Alabama
The rally had to change venues twice.
— -- In what was hyped to be one of the biggest events of the 2016 campaign so far, GOP front-runner Donald Trump held a rally Friday in Mobile, Alabama, in front of thousands.
The campaign had to switch locations twice -- from a hotel and convention center -- after demand for tickets exceeded holding capacities. Ultimately, the event was held in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium, which can hold up to 40,000 people.
The stadium was about half full when Trump started his speech. He said it drew 30,000 people.
"We were going to have 250, 300 people. The hotel was great. They said something is happening here. We can't hold this," Trump said. "And then, we want to the convention center and they can have 10,000 people...The next day they said too many people we can't put them in. So we came here."
Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders has so far held the record for largest crowd at an event this season, when he draw 28,000 people to Portland for a rally.
Trump reiterated his oft-stated disapproval of illegal immigration and “anchor babies,” a term he used to describe a baby born to an undocumented immigrant that has garnered controversy this week.
"The 14th amendment, I was right on it," he said. "You can do something with it. And you can do something fast. You can do something fast. So we have 300,000 babies a year. 300,000 that you have to take care of. We all have to take care of. And you know, in the case of other countries, including Mexico, they don't do that. It doesn't work that way."
Christopher Donato contributed reporting.