Thousands pack Menard Center for Trump rally, marking first-ever presidential event in Mat-Su

What you need to know:

• President Donald Trump drew thousands of people to a rally at the Menard Center in Wasilla on Tuesday, marking the first time a sitting president has held an event in the Mat-Su.
• Trump rallied support for U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, U.S. Rep. Nick Begich and gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson.
• Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Newcomb Park in Wasilla to protest Trump and Sullivan, citing concerns about rising costs and Medicare cuts. They urged voters to support Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.
• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

WASILLA – Thousands of Alaskans crowded into the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla on Tuesday to hear President Donald Trump speak during a reelection rally for Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.

Trump’s visit marked the first time a sitting president has held an event in Mat-Su.

Trump said during the rally that he visits some states “for no other reason than to pay my respect and my love because I’ve got to say hello to people,” but that he came to Alaska to support Republican candidates Sullivan, U.S. Rep. Nick Begich and Alaska gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson, whom he endorsed earlier in the day.

“Here, I have to be because we have to make sure that Dan gets in. We have to make sure that Nick Begich gets in. And to be honest with you, we have to make sure that Bernadette Wilson becomes your governor,” Trump said.

Sullivan is running against former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat. Begich faces a challenge from independent candidate Bill Hill, a commercial fisherman. Wilson is running against Republicans Treg Taylor and Dave Bronson, who also attended the rally, and Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.

Mat-Su is considered a heavily Republican part of the state, with more than 70% of voters in the area supporting Trump during the 2024 presidential election. Sullivan called the valley “the heart of Republican Alaska” in remarks during the rally.

Sullivan said he asked to hold the rally in Wasilla because Mat-Su residents make up a key voting bloc and because the region had never before hosted a sitting president.

"When I was asked where the president should come, I said the president should come to the Mat-Su Valley. First of all, there's never been a sitting president in the United States who has come to the Mat-Su Valley," he said in an interview before the event. "This is a key part of our state where, if we turn out voters in the Mat-Su Valley, we're going to win, and then Alaska wins, and America wins."

A capacity crowd of about 3,500 packed the Menard Center's ice rink for the event, with about 350 seated on the floor and supporters lining the stands and track area. The rally kicked off with a prayer led by Victor Fonov, pastor of White Fields Church in Wasilla, and the Pledge of Allegiance led by local Republican Party organizers Ron and Janet Johnson.

While waiting in line outside the rally with several friends, Mat-Su Career and Technical Education High School senior Ian Naylor said he skipped class to attend because he didn't want to miss the chance to see a U.S. president visit the region.

"I think it's an amazing opportunity. And regardless of how you feel about him, you should not miss this opportunity," he said. "I'm interested in hearing what he is going to say – I am going to be interested to hear how he promotes the races and how he uses his influence to make his point."

Down the street at a Church on the Rock parking lot, Juneau residents Cindy Fuller and Shannan Greene were among the first in line Tuesday to board a rally shuttle.

“We have been here since 4 a.m.,” Fuller said, holding a folded camping chair with an American flag print near Church on the Rock. “It was cold, it was windy, but we survived.”

Fuller and Greene were among hundreds of people in line Tuesday morning near the church and along nearby streets. Many brought chairs, lunch and warm clothes for hours of waiting.

Parking in the area was limited, and law enforcement officers towed about seven vehicles parked illegally along the roadway, officials with the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. Individuals whose cars were missing after the event were advised to call MATCOM, they said.

A string of buses began boarding people around 10 a.m. to shuttle them to the Menard, where thousands waited to make it through security screenings after doors opened at noon.

Not everyone who planned to attend made it into the rally Tuesday. At least three busloads of would-be attendees were sent back to the parking area after arriving at the Menard, and others were denied transportation from the designated shuttle parking area.

Hundreds protest at Newcomb Park

Meanwhile, about four miles down the road from the Menard Center at Newcomb Park on Wasilla Lake, hundreds gathered to protest Trump’s visit and his endorsements. They lined up along the Parks Highway, holding signs with caricatures of Trump as well as American and Alaska flags, as passing cars honked.

Before local bands took the stage, several Democratic leaders and Alaska residents gave speeches expressing frustration with high fuel and grocery prices and cuts to Medicare. They held cutouts of Sen. Dan Sullivan’s and Jeffrey Epstein’s faces.

Speakers said they felt Sullivan was not engaging with Alaskans and had voted against their interests. They called for people to vote for Sullivan’s Democratic challenger, Mary Peltola.

Judy Tymick of Big Lake held an umbrella with the “No Kings” slogan, a rainbow flag and a sign supporting Peltola. She said it’s important to unite and create “a blue wave in November.”

“Republicans have clearly lost their way, and I want to help make sure that there's a better United States waiting for my kids and my grandkids,” she said. “I think that Americans are seeing past Trump, and I do think that there will be a wave on Nov. 3.”

A separate protest was also held in Anchorage. About 100 people attended that gathering, which lasted about 25 minutes.

Alaska Public Media reporters Alena Naiden and Wesley Early contributed to this report.