President Donald Trump is coming to Durant for a rally Thursday.
The rally will be held in the heart of the Choctaw reservation at the Choctaw Nation's event center.
The stop is part of a tour of deep-red states friendly to the president, which continues to a rally in Mobile, Alabama, and college football gameday festivities in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The event coincides with OETA's gubernatorial debate, which is scheduled for Thursday evening. Republican candidate Mike Mazzei said he will be in Durant at the president's event. Trump's endorsement of Mazzei was critical in his emergence from a crowded GOP primary field.
An OETA spokesperson said in lieu of a live debate Thursday evening, they'll tape a debate that morning and air it as scheduled at 7 p.m.
Durant is located in Bryan County, a Republican stronghold. Trump won the county over former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 with nearly 79% of the vote share. He also won every county in the state.
Trump endorsed Mazzei ahead of an August primary runoff against Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Despite Trump's support, Mazzei eked out a victory by fewer than 2,100 votes. But in Bryan County, Mazzei overtook Drummond with a 25-point lead.
People who would like to attend the Durant event can request up to four tickets on the Republican Party's website.
This will be the first time Oklahoma will host a Trump rally since 2020, when the president appeared at the first major political rally after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rally was blamed for a subsequent surge in coronavirus cases.
Choctaw Nation says it's not an endorsement of Mazzei
Choctaw Nation Principal Chief Gary Batton released a statement saying he welcomes Trump to the reservation.
"This is the third time we have had the honor of a sitting U.S. president coming to the Choctaw Nation, and we welcome President Trump," Batton said. "We hope his visit provides an opportunity to learn more about what we do as a sovereign nation for our members and for all people in southeast Oklahoma."
While the event center is owned by the tribe, a spokesperson for the nation said it is only renting the venue, not sponsoring or organizing the event. And he added the event's location is not an endorsement of Mazzei, Trump's hand-picked candidate to be Oklahoma's next governor.
He also said he didn't know why the GOP picked Durant. The New York Times reported that Republican Party sources said Durant was chosen for its proximity to Texas and that it could boost GOP candidates in both states.
This is a developing story.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
