Protests pop up around Central Florida ahead of Trump’s visit to The Villages
WESH TWO NEWS STARTS NOW. FIRST AT NOON. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS ON HIS WAY TO CENTRAL FLORIDA RIGHT NOW. WE ARE EXPECTING AIR FORCE ONE TO LAND AT THE OCALA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. THE PRESIDENT WILL BE SPEAKING AT THE VILLAGES, CHARTER SCHOOLS MIDDLETON CAMPUS TODAY. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I’M SANIKA DANGE AND I’M ALAN CAMPBELL. SO THIS IS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE SINCE SECRET SERVICE AGENTS STOPPED A GUNMAN FROM STORMING THE BALLROOM AT THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER LAST SATURDAY. WE HAVE LIVE TEAM COVERAGE OF TODAY’S EVENTS. WESH TWO JUSTIN SCHECKER IS INSIDE THE SCHOOL WHERE THE PRESIDENT WILL SPEAK LATER THIS AFTERNOON. BUT WE BEGIN WITH WESH TWO ANCHOR JASON GUY. HE’S OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL WHERE PEOPLE JASON STARTED LINING UP FOR THIS EVENT IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. YEAH, YESTERDAY PEOPLE WERE OUT HERE, GUYS. THEY WERE WANTING TO MAKE SURE THEY MADE IT IN. AND WE HAVE BEEN HEARING FROM SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE TOWARD THE END OF THE LINE, AND IT STRETCHES FOR SOME BLOCKS HERE IN THE VILLAGES, THAT THEY MAY NOT MAKE IT INTO THIS EVENT. NOW, WE HAVEN’T HEARD AN OFFICIAL NUMBER FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED INSIDE TO HEAR THE PRESIDENT SPEAK. BUT THE NUMBERS FLOATING AROUND FROM PEOPLE WHO’VE BEEN IN LINE, THEY SAY VOLUNTEERS HAVE SAID SOMETHING IN THE 3000 TO 3500 RANGE. WE HEARD FROM ONE OF THE PARAMEDICS OUT HERE, AND HE SAID, JUST HE WAS GUESSING THAT MAYBE THERE ARE 5 OR 6000 PEOPLE HERE. SO THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE DISAPPOINTED IN THE DAY AHEAD. LET ME JUST SHOW YOU THE CROWD OF PEOPLE, BECAUSE THE FOLKS WHO ARE RIGHT HERE OVER MY SHOULDER, THESE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE IN LINE SINCE WELL BEFORE WE GOT HERE. AND THAT WAS LONG BEFORE THE SUN CAME UP. WE WERE OUT HERE BY ABOUT 4:00 THIS MORNING. THEY WERE OUT HERE. SOME TOLD US AT THE FRONT OF THAT LINE THAT THEY GOT IN LINE AT ABOUT 11 P.M. LAST NIGHT. NOW WE ARE HERE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL IN THE VILLAGES, AND ALL OF THE CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT ARE SHUT DOWN TODAY. BUT WE HAVE NOTICED SOME YOUNG PEOPLE HERE IN THE CROWD. I TALKED TO JUNIOR BRAYDEN COLLINS, AND HE TELLS ME THE CHANCE TO HEAR THE PRESIDENT SPEAK RIGHT HERE AT HIS SCHOOL IS AN EXPERIENCE HE CAN’T GET IN A TEXTBOOK. IT MEANS A LOT TO ME, AND I EXPECT THAT, YOU KNOW, HE CAN, LIKE, ENLIGHTEN ME ON SOME OF HIS IDEAS BECAUSE I’M OBVIOUSLY NOT FULLY INFORMED. LIKE, YOU KNOW, I’M ONLY 17. I’M NOT LIKE TOO DEEP INTO LIKE POLITICS. BUT I HOPE YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAYS. I CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, HIS POLICIES, LIKE FOREIGN POLICIES, YOU KNOW, STUFF LIKE THAT. SO CERTAINLY EXCITEMENT FROM THESE YOUNG PEOPLE. WE ARE EXPECTING THE PRESIDENT TO ADDRESS A CROWD FOR THE FOR THE AUDIENCE HERE OF THE VILLAGE IS KNOWN FOR BEING A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY. BUT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT HERE, THIS IS AN AREA THAT IS FULL OF FAMILIES, AND THERE ARE NEW SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS AND SO MUCH MORE HERE. IT’S BEEN AMAZING TO SEE THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THAT’S HAPPENED IN THIS SPOT JUST OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. AND MY COLLEAGUE JUSTIN SCHECKER IS HERE, HERE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, AND HE’S BEEN TAKING A LOOK AT THE EVENT, EVEN GETTING SET UP INSIDE. THEY ARE JUST ABOUT TO OPEN UP THE DOORS THERE. JUSTIN. THIS MORNING, PRESIDENT TRUMP RECEIVED HIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING AT THE WHITE HOUSE BEFORE HIS FLIGHT ON AIR FORCE ONE TO CENTRAL FLORIDA. HUNDREDS OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS HAVE BEEN LINED UP OUTSIDE THE VILLAGES CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL SINCE EARLY THIS MORNING. SECURITY IS TOP OF MIND AFTER THE SCARE LAST SATURDAY NIGHT, THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER, WHERE SECRET SERVICE AGENTS STOPPED A GUNMAN FROM STORMING THE BALLROOM. ATTENDEES WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH AIRPORT SECURITY SCREENINGS TO GET INSIDE. WE HAVE SEEN DEPUTIES FROM SEVERAL CENTRAL FLORIDA SHERIFF’S OFFICES ON SITE, AND THERE ARE ROAD CLOSURES AROUND THE SCHOOL CAMPUS. PRESIDENT TRUMP IS EXPECTED TO SPEAK ABOUT TOPICS SUCH AS NO TAX ON TIPS, NO TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY, AND PUTTING SENIORS AND WORKERS FIRST. I’VE CONFIRMED THAT THE TRUMP ENDORSED CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR IN FLORIDA, CONGRESSMAN BYRON DONALDS, WILL BE SPEAKING HERE THIS AFTERNOON. AND THE DEMOCRATIC CLUB OF THE VILLAGES HAS ORGANIZED A PROTEST. THE PRESIDENT’S VISIT THAT’S HAPPENING ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE SCHOOL CAMPUS. THE PROGRAM GETS UNDERWAY AT 130, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP IS EXPECTED TO TAKE THE STAGE AT 3 P.M. COVERING SUMTER COUNTY IN THE VILLAGES. I’M JUSTIN SCHECKER, WESH TWO NEWS. ALL THE PEOPLE OUT HERE AND THE SECURITY PRECAUTIONS IN PLACE FOR A PRESIDENTIAL VISIT. THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME ROAD CLOSURES, AND WE’VE SEEN THOSE. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE AREAS THAT ARE SHUT DOWN RIGHT NOW. IF YOU ARE IN AND AROUND THIS SPOT, RANDY MCDANIEL, WAY BETWEEN ALDER AVENUE AND THE GARDINER DRIVE, LANDSTOWN BOULEVARD ROUNDABOUT, PETTUS PARKWAY WILL ALSO BE CLOSED. YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO USE CENTRAL PARKWAY TO LANDSTOWN BOULEVARD. IF YOU’RE TRYING TO ACCESS THE VENUE, YOU CAN STILL WALK OR DRIVE THOSE GOLF CARTS ON THE CLOSED ROADS. AND CENTRAL FLORIDA ISN’T THE ONLY STOP FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THE DAY AHEAD. HE’S GOING TO BOARD AIR FORCE ONE AFTER SPEAKING HERE THIS AFTERNOON, AND THEN HE’LL TRAVEL FROM THE VILLAGES DOWN TO SOUTH FLORID
Protests pop up around Central Florida ahead of Trump’s visit to The Villages
Updated: 2:34 PM EDT May 1, 2026
Protests are popping up across Central Florida ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to The Villages on Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, around 3,000 supporters lined up outside The Villages Charter School waiting for doors to open for the event. Trump is expected to discuss topics such as no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security and putting seniors and workers first.One protest was about a mile from the event in The Villages. Another happened in Brevard County, which coincided with May Day protests against the administration and its policies.
THE VILLAGES, Fla. —
Protests are popping up across Central Florida ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to The Villages on Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, around 3,000 supporters lined up outside The Villages Charter School waiting for doors to open for the event.
Trump is expected to discuss topics such as no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security and putting seniors and workers first.
One protest was about a mile from the event in The Villages. Another happened in Brevard County, which coincided with May Day protests against the administration and its policies.
