McALLEN — Donald Trump Jr. is headed to the Rio Grande Valley on July 18 for a rescheduled visit that local Republicans have looked forward to since October.
Trump Jr. was supposed to visit McAllen just a month ahead of the November election with his paramour, Kimberly Guilfoyle. The then-president’s son had planned to plug his book, “Liberal Privilege: Joe Biden And The Democrats’ Defense Of The Indefensible,” at a luncheon, but the visit was postponed after a White House COVID-19 outbreak that sent Donald Trump Sr. to the hospital.
When Trump Jr. finally does make it to the Valley on the 18th he’ll still be plugging the same book, but a couple of the finer details have changed. He’ll be at Payne Arena in Hidalgo instead of the Valencia Event Center, he’s speaking to Valley residents at breakfast time instead of lunch, there’s no mention of Guilfoyle in promotional material and tickets are $20 cheaper.
Things have changed for Trump Jr. and for the people likely to be in the audience next Sunday.
Trump, of course, is no longer the son of a sitting president.
In contrast, Hidalgo County Republicans say they feel stronger than they have in years.
The Hidalgo County Republican Party, the organizer of this month’s Trump breakfast, posted a video advertising the event Thursday. In many ways the video is a summary of the GOP’s South Texas success in 2020 and 2021.
The Valley was not the rock solid bastion of support for Joe Biden in November that it’s been for other Democratic presidential candidates in the past.
National media outlets took note, writing about those conservative gains on the border.
Local conservatives were more physically visible over the past year as well, turning in masses for two visits from Trump Sr. and showing up in significant numbers at rallies before and even after the election.
The Valley has seen visits from prominent Republicans like gubernatorial candidate Allen West, Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Texas Supreme Court Judge Eva Guzman.
All four of those individuals are running for office in incipient elections.
All of that hubbub has put a louder megaphone into the hands of local Republican leaders.
Hidalgo County GOP Party Chair Adrienne Pena Garza, who will be joining Trump Jr. next week, was attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas Friday — as a speaker.
Samantha Salazar, the party’s Hidalgo County public relations chair, rounded up many of those achievements in the ad for Trump Jr.’s visit, narrating a video with pictures of local rallies, New York Times stories about South Texas Republicans and, of course, the Trumps.
“Your Trump trains, patriotic flag waves and volunteer work all shined through this past year. We persevere despite Democratic backlash in our counties,” she said. “When it comes to Democrats we’re not fighting a fair fight. However, Rio Grande Valley, you’re proof that we’re standing strong and proud. Fight against that liberal privilege that rewrites history, neglects facts and alters the news in a one-sided fashion to further their liberal agenda.”
