- Author, Emma Vardy, Regan Morris and Ana Faguy
- Role, BBC News
- Report of Phoenix
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Extreme heat in Arizona sent 11 people to the hospital as thousands waited to attend a campaign rally with former President Donald Trump.
As Trump took the stage just after 5 p.m. EDT (10 p.m. GMT) at a Phoenix megachurch, the temperature was 111F (44C).
It was his first rally since his criminal conviction in a New York hush money case, which found him guilty of falsifying business records in connection with a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Trump used the campaign event to reiterate accusations that the prosecution against him was politically motivated and called for the conviction to be overturned.
“I just went through a rigged trial in New York,” he insisted. “It was stuff that was made up and fabricated.”
The ex-president is expected to appeal the 34 charges brought against him during the trial.
Fans began lining up early outside the massive Phoenix Dream City church to see him speak, and tight security meant it took a while for everyone to get in.
As supporters waited outside the election rally, BBC News saw several people being treated for heat-related issues and two of them taken to hospital.
On Thursday – two weeks before summer even officially began – the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast record-breaking temperatures across inland California and parts of Nevada and Arizona.
Temperatures are expected to reach 121F (49C) in California’s scorching Death Valley during the heatwave.
In Phoenix, an excessive heat warning is in effect Friday, with people urged to limit time spent outdoors and stay hydrated.
Trump began a short campaign tour on Thursday with a stop in Phoenix, exactly a week after being convicted in New York.
The former president spoke for about 90 minutes before leaving for a fundraiser in San Francisco.
In addition to opposing his conviction, he said he would reverse President Joe Biden’s new executive order aimed at curbing migrant arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“On my first day in office, I will rescind Crooked Joe’s outrageous executive order,” he said, calling it “pro-invasion.”
The presidential candidate promised to “end every open border policy of the Biden administration.”
As both camps continue their campaigns, Trump said in an interview broadcast Thursday that he will announce his choice as vice presidential nominee at next month’s Republican National Convention, commenting: “We have some very good people.” »
Image source, Getty Images
Trump is then expected to hold a campaign event in Las Vegas on Sunday.
This city is also experiencing record temperatures. The forecast high of 112F (44C) in Las Vegas on Thursday would be the first day of 112F observed in the city.
Temperatures are 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit above average for this time of year, according to the NWS, although they will cool slightly during Trump’s visit on Sunday.
The intense heat has put more than 30 million people in the southwest region on alert for dangerously high temperatures, with authorities asking residents to take precautions.
Heat-related illnesses and even deaths are becoming increasingly common in Phoenix and the southwest United States.
While heat domes were once described as rare, heat waves and thermal domes are becoming more frequent and intense due to human-induced climate change, scientists say.
The world has experienced 12 consecutive months of record temperatures, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said earlier this week.
Last month was the hottest May on record in history.
