Altoona-Blair County Airport
Welcomes President Donald J. Trump

On Monday, October 26th, 2020, President Donald J. Trump visited Martinsburg, Pennsylvania as part of his “Make America Great Again” victory rallies in the week leading up to the general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The President’s visit to Martinsburg was the first time in the past 30 years that a sitting President has visited Blair County.

“The Altoona-Blair County Airport Authority Board was very pleased to be able to host a visit from a sitting President of the United States for the first time in 30 years,” shared Airport Manager Tracy Plessinger.

The rally drew in crowds from the tri-state area and beyond, with approximately more than 10,000 in attendance. “We are thrilled that over 10,000 residents from Pennsylvania and neighboring states were able to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event at our airport,” said Tracy.

The crowd was representative of many, with a large group of coal miners in attendance who even garnered the attention of the President when speaking about the importance of fracking and coal mining in the state of Pennsylvania.

Prior to President Trump’s arrival, Senator Judy Ward (R-Blair), U.S. Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-15th District), and U.S. Representative John Joyce (R-13th District), all spoke on Trump’s behalf, often following with cheers of “four more years.”

Once on stage, President Trump spoke on topics from healthcare, to COVID-19, then frequently returning to energy-industry jobs and their importance, often engaging the crowd and leaving the stage with the crowd chanting, “we love you.”

The Altoona-Blair County Airport was truly transformed for this extremely large event.

“In three days the airport was transformed from its normal configuration to a venue accommodating a stage, seating, lighting, audio-visual equipment, food trucks, communication assets, and crowd control and security facilities, all while continuing to carry out its mission to serve the aviation needs of the community. Not a single commercial flight was canceled due to this event,” Tracy explained. “The ability to host such an event truly underscores the importance of the airport to the entire Central Pennsylvania region.”

Overall, everyone came together to make this event a great success.

“I commend the airport staff for going above and beyond to provide support services to the Secret Service, White House Staff, the Trump Campaign, and state and local law enforcement as we all worked together to make this event a success,” said Tracy.

The Altoona-Blair County Airport invites you to view the photos below of the rally and this historic day for Central Pennsylvania.