Trump to be joined by Youngkin at Virginia rally after first debate

Former President Trump is expected to hold a rally in Virginia following next week’s presidential debate as his campaign has asserted the commonwealth could be in play in November.

The former president will be joined by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), a source confirmed to The Hill, marking the first time the two have made a public appearance together during the 2024 cycle.

The Trump event will likely take place next Friday near Virginia Beach, a second source said, though the final location had not been finalized.

CBS News first reported on the Virginia rally.

Youngkin mostly kept his distance from Trump during his successful 2021 campaign for the governor’s mansion, and he generated buzz as a potential alternative to Trump in the 2024 presidential contest. But Youngkin opted not to launch a presidential campaign, saying he was committed to serving the remainder of his term as governor.

Trump and Youngkin met in person for the first time earlier this month at Trump’s golf club in Sterling, Va.

Polling has shown Virginia could be a much closer race than it was in 2020, when Biden carried it by 10 percentage points over Trump.

A Fox News poll of Virginia registered voters conducted June 1-4 showed Biden and Trump tied with 48 percent each. A Roanoke College poll conducted in mid-May showed the two candidates tied in a head-to-head match-up, and it found Biden leading Trump by 2 percentage points when third-party candidates were added.

Trump and Biden are set to meet for the first of two scheduled debates Thursday in Atlanta. The debate will be hosted by CNN.

While Trump will travel to Virginia the following day, President Biden will hold his own campaign event in Raleigh, N.C., where he will be joined by first lady Jill Biden.

Biden and Vice President Harris have made several trips to North Carolina this year as the Biden campaign eyes the Tar Heel State as a battleground that could flip from red to blue in November.

Trump carried North Carolina in 2020 by less than 2 percentage points, and polling out of the state in 2024 so far has shown the former president leading his Democratic rival.

A Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll conducted last month showed Trump leading Biden by 7 percentage points, while an East Carolina University poll conducted in early June showed Trump ahead by 5 percentage points.