Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, pictured here in 2013, said he hopes that “sound judgment prevails" and President Trump changes his plans. | Christian Petersen/Getty Images Phoenix mayor wants Trump to delay rally

The mayor of Phoenix says he is “disappointed” that President Donald Trump has scheduled a rally for his city as the nation “is still healing from the tragic events in Charlottesville,” and says he wants Trump to delay the event.

Mayor Greg Stanton, a Democrat who has been in office since 2012, said he hopes that “sound judgment prevails” and that the president abandons plans for an event next Tuesday at the Phoenix Convention Center. Earlier Wednesday, Trump’s reelection campaign announced that the president would hold the event to rally supporters.


Stanton noted that the site of the rally was "a public facility and open for anyone to rent—and that includes the Trump campaign." He said he would be focused on making sure the event was safe for everyone if it went forward.

The Trump campaign's announcement came a day after Trump drew near universal outcry after saying “both sides” were to blame for a deadly weekend of protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups clashed with counterprotesters.

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Stanton also warned Trump that if he was coming to town to pardon former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an outspoken immigration opponent, “it will be clear that his true intent is to inflame emotions and further divide the nation.”

Trump has said he is considering pardoning Arpaio, who was recently found guilty of criminal contempt for ignoring a federal order.