CHEASAPEAKE, Va. — Former President Donald Trump addressed a crowd of thousands during a campaign rally in Chesapeake, taking swipes at President Joe Biden and touching on issues regarding immigration, crime and the economy.

The nearly 90-minute speech came a day after Trump sparred with Biden in the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign season.

“As every American saw firsthand last night, this election is a choice between strength and weakness, competence and incompetence, peace and prosperity, or war,” Trump told the crowd.

Many supporters at Historic Greenbrier Farms located just off the Chesapeake Expressway started lining up for hours beforehand. Gates opened at 11 a.m. and speakers took to the stage around 2 p.m., among them former Gov. Bob McDonnell, U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans and Senate GOP candidate Hung Cao.

In a bid to help flip Virginia red, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin appeared on stage with Trump for the first time. The governor said the United States needs a new leader, citing the southern border and the economy as top-tier issues under the Biden administration.

“I had a friend who once told me that all roads lead through Hampton Roads,” Youngkin said. “(Virginians and North Carolinians) are here and (they’re) about to help elect Donald J. Trump into the White House. Yes, all roads do lead through Hampton Roads, and Joe Biden’s road to retirement is going right through Hampton Roads.”

Early Friday afternoon, traffic snarled along the Chesapeake Expressway as supporters made their way onto the 500-acre farm. Inside the event space, several attendees said the security line took about two hours to clear.

Vendors sold all manner of Trump merchandise, from T-shirts with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, to candles, baseball caps and even Trump’s newly released gold sneakers. Other items reflected more recent events. Several T-shirts on sale were emblazoned with the slogan, “I’m voting for the felon.”

Trump was convicted of 34 felony crimes last month related to a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn star who said they had sex.

Trump lost Virginia in 2016 and 2020, but a poll last month from Roanoke College indicated Trump and Biden are tied in a head-to-head matchup in the commonwealth, with Biden holding a narrow two-point lead when other candidates are included.

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