Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Former President Donald Trump touched down at Salt Lake City International Airport just before 4:20 p.m. Saturday for a brief fundraising visit in the Beehive State and was airborne by 7:15 p.m. to continue campaigning across the nation with less than two months to go before the Nov. 5 election.
The GOP presidential candidate never left the airport during his short visit, during which he held an exclusive fundraiser at a hangar with wealthy supporters and Republican politicians — including Gov. Spencer Cox, Attorney General Sean Reyes, Reps. Burgess Owens and Celeste Maloy, Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz and Senate President Stuart Adams.
Between 150 and 200 supporters gathered just off the tarmac to watch Trump's jet arrive from Las Vegas, with some gathering as early as 1 p.m.
A couple of dozen stalwarts remained to watch his plane depart, cheering and waving flags as the silhouette slowly faded into the sky.
"Gave me absolute chills," Tanner Schnabel said of the arrival.
Robyn Van Wagenen said she brought along her young daughters to try to catch a glimpse of the former president.
"I think we all got goosebumps; got a little emotional just seeing that Trump plane," she said.
"The big crowd was right here," Heber City resident Bridget Whiting told KSL.com. "We were getting updates when he was passing Beaver, and then Provo, and then we saw his plane fly in. Everybody was cheering, and it was pretty awesome with the crowd and the energy around it."
"It was like nothing I have ever seen or felt before," was how Stephanie Pena of West Jordan described the moment Trump's plane landed. "It was just so peaceful to know that our true president was right there next to us. We really do need him to come back. I don't think we have a country without him."
Trump's visit to Utah — his first since 2017 — was rescheduled twice over the summer, after a conflict with the June 27 debate with President Joe Biden, and a "conflict in the president's schedule" that an organizer said prevented a scheduled Park City fundraiser on Aug. 29.
The Salt Lake fundraiser was closed to the public and the media, and Trump did not make any public appearance or comments. Secret Service members secured several blocks surrounding the hangar, and snipers were visible on several nearby rooftops.
Doug Quezada, a host of the event, said the fundraiser is estimated to have brought in over $5 million, with close to 1,000 supporters crammed inside the hangar.
"It was incredible," Quezada told KSL.com. "I'm the firstborn of Chilean immigrants. To go from parents who were scrubbing toilets and doing landscaping for a living to being able to host the president of the United States was incredible. It was a beautiful experience, and I felt like I was living the American dream."
Honored to be with President Trump tonight as he visited Utah. pic.twitter.com/nTVGKFgIXl
— Mayor Trent Staggs (@MayorStaggs) September 15, 2024
Other hosts of the fundraiser included conservative radio host Glenn Beck, Papa John's founder John Schnatter, and businessmen Scott Keller and John Miller. Attendees also included Utah attorney general candidate Derek Brown, state Sen. Derrin Owens, state Rep. Trevor Lee, former attorney general candidate Trent Christensen, and former Senate candidates Jason Walton and Trent Staggs.
After having conflicts interrupt the previous two attempts to hold a Utah fundraiser, Quezada said the Trump campaign was "committed" to stopping in Utah during its next trip West. Although not a swing state, Quezada said he believes Utah to be a "battleground" during this upcoming election.
"We are, in my opinion, the last true conservative bastion and stronghold west of the Rockies and our influence here — especially that of the (Latter-day Saint) community — has immediate and powerful ripple effects with our two neighboring swing states," he said. "(Trump) acknowledged that he's just a few points away in Arizona and in Nevada from being able to have this be an absolute win, and he recognized that the LDS community could bring that home."
Trump spoke of uniting the GOP in advance of the election, and Cox's presence at the event was seen as an effort to rally more moderate voters — who might be more open to Cox's message — to backing the former president.
"(Trump) was very excited to see Gov. Cox out here at the event," Quezada said. "We acknowledged that Gov. Cox has immense influence over those swing votes and we said, 'We have to involve him.' He was very happy to throw his support in whatever way he could to bring those voices and votes home in Arizona and Nevada."
WATCH: Former President Donald Trump arrived in Salt Lake City earlier this afternoon for a fundraiser at a private hangar. Dozens of supporters cheered as they caught a glimpse of him landing. Hear from some of them tonight at 10 @KSL5TVpic.twitter.com/iKmcMpMr1L
— Brianna Chávez (@bri_chavez) September 15, 2024
The visit comes in the heat of the 2024 presidential campaign and on the heels of a high-stakes debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Since replacing Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, Harris raised more than twice the amount that Trump's campaign did in August, according to NBC News.
Coming off of a week in which many pundits — some Republicans included — said Trump was outperformed by Harris in the first debate between the two candidates, his supporters who gathered outside the airport expressed confidence that Trump would win a second term.
"I'm not nervous," Whiting said when asked about her expectations for November. "I think we've got this. I do. I think the truth is finally coming out and people are starting to see it."
"Trump's got this," Pena said. "People are crazy if they vote for Kamala."
Although Trump served four years in the White House and is now running his third presidential campaign, Pena said she supports him "because he's not a politician."
1. What a day. I spent time with Roseanne Barr, RFKjr and Tulsi on X spaces, then had to get to a fundraiser for #DonaldJTrump. He amazes me. Many on his team looked tired, he did not. They leap frog him, so he is doing double time. Genetics. He was very upbeat and…
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) September 15, 2024
"He believes in the people," she said. "He wants to give our country back to us and take it back from the globalists who just care about money. Trump doesn't care about money. If he cared about money, he wouldn't be doing this."
Trump has all but secured his grip on the GOP, even in Utah, as Cox — once seen as one of the last Trump skeptics in the Republican Party — issued a surprise endorsement of Trump following July's assassination attempt. Cox later appeared with Trump at an event at Arlington National Cemetery, prompting controversy after he used a graveside photo with Trump in a campaign fundraising email.
In recent days, fundraiser organizers dropped the entry price point from $3,300 to $1,000 in an effort to shore up attendance. Other entry levels include "VIP attendee" for $10,000; a photo with Trump for $35,000; "co-host" for $150,000; or "host committee" for $500,000 per person.
Correction: An earlier version said the entry price was $3,300. The price was dropped to $1,000 in recent days.
