Busload of local Trump supporters heading for president's Nashville rally

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting on healthcare in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Donald Trump listens during a meeting on healthcare in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Local supporters of President Donald Trump are heading for Nashville this afternoon to join the president for his rally there.

A busload of some 50 Republicans from Chattanooga will leave around 12:30 p.m., Hamilton County GOP Executive Director Kathy Holloway said.

Joe DeGaetano, county party chairman, said he thinks local Republicans hope the president will talk about his health care proposals.

President Trump's first 100 days

"Everybody is interested in potential changes in the health care law and what it might mean for all Tennesseans," DeGaetano said. "In general, this is a pretty unique opportunity to see a sitting president speak in person, which is enough motivation for a lot of folks going up to Nashville."

Rose Morgan, a local psychoanalyst who will be on the bus trip, said she's going in order to let the president know he has her support.

"All Donald Trump has behind him is the American people who support him," she said, "so I think it is important to let him know we do have his back, when everyone else in the world is trashing him.

"I'm happy he is trying to do everything he said he was going to do," Morgan said. "I have been so disheartened for probably 15 years with the political establishment - they forgot they were elected to serve the people and got to thinking it might be fun to be royalty. Their sense of entitlement has meant such bad things for this country."

Gov. Bill Haslam also will be in attendance.

"Hopefully, he'll be engaging in some conversations that matter to us. Primarily health care, obviously, that's the biggest item in our budget. Maybe the biggest question that's out there for the future of the state in terms of what happens," Haslam told the Tennessean on Tuesday morning.

Haslam has been critical of Trump, including throughout his presidential campaign and more recently after the real estate mogul rolled out his first travel ban executive order.

Last year, Haslam faced criticism for not supporting Trump enough.

Despite not voting for Trump in the November election, Haslam said he was encouraged by Trump's victory speech and later attended the president's inauguration.

Doors open for today's rally at 3:30 p.m. CST, but the event does not start until 6:30 p.m. CST. The rally will be held at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

There are no more seats available on the bus, Holloway said, but party officials said individual tickets to the rally may still be available for anyone driving to Nashville.

To order tickets, go to www.donaldjtrump.com/schedule, and click on the Nashville link. You are required to provide a mobile telephone number, and there is a limit of two tickets per mobile phone number.

The Tennessean contributed to this story.

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