Trump Rallies South Florida Cubans.

Former President Donald Trump appealed to South Florida’s Cuban community during a rally aimed at upstaging his 2024 Republican presidential rivals while they engaged in their third debate without him a half-hour’s drive away.

Trump’s Wednesday night event was part of a practice he has pursued through the GOP debates: He has cited his commanding lead in the polls in skipping the stage but has also drawn attention to himself with distinctive, simultaneous events

At the rally, Trump referenced the debate happening across town, claiming no one was watching it. Later, he compared his rally to the debate: “I’m standing in front of tens of thousands of people right now and it’s on television. That’s a lot harder to do than a debate.” The stadium where he was speaking has a capacity of roughly 5,200 people.

Wednesday’s rally was also an opportunity to showcase support among Latino voters in the Miami suburb of Hialeah, a community with a strong Cuban American population where Trump remains popular enough that a City Council candidate used his image on campaign signs.

Trump was introduced by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, his former White House press secretary, who endorsed him at an event earlier this week. She praised him as her former boss, a friend and a mentor..

Trump began speaking about 20 minutes after the debate began, launching into a speech tailored for the largely Cuban American audience before him. He criticized President Joe Biden’s foreign policy, notably on Cuba, and said: “We are not the ones endangering American democracy. We are the ones saving American democracy from these terrible people.”

Trump also said Biden and the Democrats were “after Catholics,” adding: “Any Catholic or Christian that votes for a Democrat, I have to say, they’re fools.” He did not mention that Biden is Catholic.

Some Trump supporters had camped out more than a day in advance outside the venue, waving at honking commuters passing by. But when the event began, sections of the outdoor football stadium remained empty. As Trump spoke, some supporters opted to sit or stand on the field instead of sitting on nearby bleachers. Trump was joined at the rally by mixed martial arts fighter Jorge Masvidal and comedian Roseanne Barr.

Cuban voters in this region have helped deliver blowout victories for Trump and other Republicans in recent elections, helping drive Florida’s realignment from a traditional swing state to one that’s far more conservative. Democrats working toward Biden’s reelection want to win back Latino voters who turned away in 2020.