JOHNSON CITY — President Donald Trump took the stage to cheers at Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee, shortly after 7 p.m. Monday for a rally in support of U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn's Senate campaign.

Trump began by talking about the turnaround in the economy and finally "putting America first."

He touted the replacement of the "job-killing disaster known as NAFTA with a brand-new U.S./Mexico/Canada trade agreement and we're calling it USMCA. No more NAFTA."

Calling it "fair, modern and balanced," he said it's the largest trade deal the United States has ever negotiated and will produce jobs so companies will stop leaving.

He talked about the importance of the election, and referred to the Democrats as obstructionists and enablers of the fake news media.

He said the Democrats "campaign on resistance. They'll take everything, including your Second Amendment, away."

Trump:Democrat control would be bad for nation, elect Blackburn

He said a Democrat takeover of Congress will plunge the country into chaos, the stock market will drop, taxes will rise and crime will flow into the nation through open borders.

He blamed the Democrats for trying to destroy Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

"They are indeed the party of crime," he said at one point, referring to "Democratic-supported immigration policies."

More:Trump rally: Blackburn says blue wave will meet 'great red wall' in Tennessee

Blackburn, who spoke briefly, addressed the blue wave some say is coming.

"When that blue wave gets to the state line, it’s going to run right into the great red wall," she said to loud applause.

Trump spoke for about an hour.

The president’s motorcade returned at 8:49 p.m. to Tri-Cities Airport, where Air Force One was preparing for takeoff.

Rally 'everything I hoped for'

For Stephanie Williams, the Donald Trump rally was every bit as good as a Vols game — “and this time we’re winning.”

She brought her mother and 12-year-old daughter to see the president but left early to get ahead of the traffic.

“It was everything I hoped for and more,” she said. “The energy was like a football game back when the Vols won.”

Williams was one of the lucky ones. Most of the tens of thousands who stood in line for tonight’s rally at Freedom Hall Civic Center had to watch from outside.

“We’re disappointed, because it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” said Hunter Dotson. “But it was worth the trip.”

Trump’s remarks drew cheers throughout the night, particularly jeers at Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren of Massachusetts and calls for the confirmation of Kavanaugh.

“They’re trying to smear a good man,” Williams said.

More:Trump on Kavanaugh in Johnson City: Democrats are 'trying to destroy a very fine person'

For Thomas Taylor, it was bigger than a ball game, louder than a rock concert and more exciting than a thriller.

Who cares if a few details got fudged or stretched here and there?

“A lot of it is Trump just pulling liberals’ chains and making jokes,” said the retired coal miner who drove from Rogersville, Tenn. “In this day and age, a president has got to do that. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have said that. But now that’s changed forever.”

His favorite moment came at tonight’s rally came when the president trumpeted changes promised to the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

“Jobs can heal all society’s problems,” Taylor said. “People right now are so dead set against each other there could almost be a civil war. Jobs can bring them back together.”

Karen Tolley of Church Hill, Tenn., said the same. She says her son and daughter both credit their jobs in an improved economy to Trump.

“We need to take care of our people first,” she said. “We need to keep the companies and the jobs here.”

She said she’ll back anything that does that, no matter what it takes — a common sentiment at the rally.

“I truly do not think there’s been a president for us the people for years,” said Patti Sidock of Bristol, Tenn., as she left. “The Democrats are all criminals. Obama divided this country. Trump is building it back.”

Most of the rally-goers showed support for Blackburn, Tennessee's Republican U.S. Senate candidate, although most said they would have voted for her anyway. But they didn’t come to Freedom Hall to see Blackburn.

“I came for Trump,” Sidock said. “I don’t think anything could change my mind on Trump.”

Trump arrives, welcomed by overflowing crowd

Trump's motorcade arrived at the rally site in Johnson City at 6:11 p.m. Hundreds of people lined the route on Interstate 26, with many pulling their vehicles over on the shoulder to take pictures or wave, according to media pool reports. Families clapped and waved American flags.

At one farm, a man on a tractor held aloft a sign with a heart symbol that said “#1 Trump.”

Decidedly in the minority were opposition signs, including one that read, “Have you boofed today?”

As Trump’s motorcade left Tri-Cities Airport in Blountville, the crowd that came to see him still stretched for blocks.

The crowd of would-be rally-goers topped the center’s capacity of a little more than 8,000 people. Many people had to be turned away from the rally scheduled to start at 7 p.m. But thousands remained outside the building to watch the president's speech via live-streamed video on a Jumbotron screen. Trump put the number of people outside at about 20,000.

Trump rally:Democrats, Republicans see impact on undecided Senate voters

Before the rally began, in an overflow room, Trump spoke for five to 10 minutes to thank several hundred spectators who were unable to fit in the main rally arena, according to pool reports.

U.S. Rep. Phil Roe said there had been 92,000 requests for tickets to the rally.

Meanwhile, demonstrators against the rally topped 300.

The ranks include Katya Kaverina, who wore a “Thank You, Obama’s” T-shirt.

“I was born in Russia, and I’ve lived in this city since 2001,” she said. “Trump’s not getting any credit from me.”

At the edge of the parking lot, a Trump supporter showed up with a bullhorn to heckle the demonstrators and tell them they’re headed for hell.

“Let’s have a Bible study,” he said. “‘The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.’ Trump will not save you. He’s busy saving America.”

Trump greets supporters at airport

Air Force One touched down at the Tri-Cities regional airport in Blountville at 5:18 p.m., nearly five minutes ahead of schedule, and taxied over to the tarmac at Tri-City Aviation, where supporters waited eagerly.

Trump stepped out and raised his arms to raucous applause from the small group of guests, and made his way down the stairs accompanied by Blackburn and U.S. Reps. Chuck Fleischmann, Scott DesJarlais, John Duncan and Phil Roe.

Among those greeting the president were Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee.

The group headed toward the crowd, where the president autographed Make America Great Again campaign hats, and at one point raised a fan's poster of himself, posing as if to ask the group's opinion on the likeness.

Trump's entourage stepped into a town car around 5:40 p.m., but the president lingered a little, finishing his way down the line, waving at kids on parents' shoulders, before he finally got in another town car.

The motorcade left the airport at 5:41 p.m. as Trump made his way to Johnson City for tonight’s rally in support of Blackburn’s campaign for the U.S. Senate.

More:Why is President Donald Trump holding rally in Johnson City?

Scene at Freedom Hall

Earlier in the evening, supporters were counting down to Trump’s arrival at the rally at Johnson City’s Freedom Hall Civic Center.

A few gave up their spots in the line of thousands to watch for Trump’s coming. Others gave up and left to go home and watch the rally on TV.

By 2 p.m., the line outside Johnson City’s Freedom Hall Civic Center snaked down the hill and around the surrounding blocks as thousands waited to get inside. As of 4:30 p.m., the doors were open and people were filing in for the rally scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Freedom Hall began to fill up with hundreds, if not thousands of people outside unable to get inside. About two hours before the start of the event, the arena was well over half full with roughly 100 people in a standing-room-only area in front of the stage. Some of those people had already taken to the floor, likely exhausted from waiting in the hot sun to get into the building.

There are thousands of “Make America Great Again” hats and “Marsha Marsha Marsha” T-shirts along with Trump 2020 shirts.

A few minutes after Trump landed, towards the end of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” the crowd erupted in an impromptu, raucous chant of “Trump!” The crowd got so loud the sound was turned down before the song could finish. A few minutes later, the crowd chanted “Lock Her Up!”

Sharon Peters brought a sign that read simply: “Impeach.”

“Tennesseans have really let me down,” she said. “This is the first time in my life I’ve ever been ashamed of a president. It’s mind-boggling to see this many people in my state support him.”

About 30 minutes after people started filing in, a stray, disoriented bat was flying around, hitting the floor like a jet trying to land on the water. When he flew into the crowd he got a few screams.

'He's a real person'

Annette Krc and Lisa Pugh found a way to pass the time waiting to get into President Donald Trump’s rally — reading his books.

“I think he’s the best president we’ve ever had,” Krc said. “He’s already done so much in the short time he’s had.”

“And just think what he could have done if it weren’t for the Democrats,” Pugh said.

The pair rode together on a roughly eight-hour drive across the state from Germantown, Tennessee, for Trump’s appearance at tonight’s rally. They got here before sunup.

“I want to hear about winning,” Pugh said. “I want to hear about locking her (Hillary Clinton) up. I want to hear the truth about (Supreme Court nominee) Brett Kavanaugh.”

She and her friend said they’re tired of hearing about Russian election interference, about protests against Trump, about predictions of budget shortfalls from tax breaks and about porn star Stormy Daniels.

“I don’t give a crap who he slept with,” Pugh said. “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. My husband’s a 90-percent disabled veteran. Trump’s going to let him see doctors outside the VA. I like having more money from the tax cuts.”

More:President Trump announces 'truly historic' trade deal to replace NAFTA

They said they love it all — even the president’s infamous tweets.

“It shows you he’s a real person,” Krc said. “I like that he doesn’t apologize. This is exactly who he is."

Demonstrators join the crowd

Laura Shaffer says she’s seen guns in the classroom and she doesn’t want them.

She showed up for tonight’s Donald Trump rally with a sign that said so.

Shaffer said she graduated from a high school in Florida with an armed officer on campus who made her feel no safer. She held a sign that read: “Guns are not school supplies.”

Shaffer and about 75-80 others had lined the sidewalk leading to Freedom Hall Civic Center by 4:30 p.m.

“I’m from a family of public school teachers, and I’m happy to be here to show the other side,” she said.

Kate Craig, chair of the Washington County Democratic Party, said she hopes to see as many as 1,000-2,500 people turned out, based on interest shown on Facebook.

“This is not anti-Trump,” she said. “We want to participate in our democracy and show what Democrats are for.”

Trump supporters headed into the rally threw occasional jibes toward the demonstrators, but most passed in peace. Officers nearly arrested one man who stopped to harangue the demonstrators with profanity and insults.

Even in a state as red as Tennessee — where 91 out of 95 counties voted for Trump in 2016 — it’s not out of the question to hope for a blue wave, the demonstrators said.

“I think a lot of people are going to be paying more attention, and I think a lot more women are going to be turning out,” Shaffer said.

Supporters line up early

Saundra Kiczen drove 14 hours from the U.S.-Canadian border to stand in line for today’s rally.

She was one of thousands of Trump supporters who were lined up by approximately 11 a.m. Monday.

Some said they’d heard as many as 50,000 people had registered online for tickets for the Make America Great Again (MAGA) rally, which will be handed out first-come, first-served. Freedom Hall in Johnson City can hold around 8,000 people.

Kiczen didn’t get there first. At 8:30 a.m., she and more than 100 others already lined Pactolas Road outside the center, waiting for the doors to open. A police officer brought the words they’d waited for just before 9, and the crowd headed for the parking lot.

“I’ve been going to these rallies since the (2015) primaries,” she said. “Lines are always an issue.”

Trump supporters began arriving Sunday night for today’s rally in support of the Blackburn campaign.

“It’s like waiting for a concert, but with less music,” said Annalise Busenlehner of Kingsport.

More:Debate 2.0: Blackburn, Bredesen to tussle in Knoxville next

Trump fans point to more money in paychecks

If you’ve seen TV coverage of a Donald Trump rally, chances are you’ve seen Richard Snowden.

Tonight’s rally at Freedom Hall Civic Center will make the 50th for him.

He wears the same uniform each time - black suit, red-white-and-blue-striped shirt and red Trump-style necktie.

“I’ve worn it since the fifth rally,” he said as he walked up and down a line that by mid-morning numbered a couple hundred people. “It’s a great way to get on TV or in pictures. The guy in the suit always stands out.”

More:President Donald Trump rally in Johnson City to result in school closings, more law enforcement

Lyn McKinney lives within a five-minute drive of Freedom Hall but said she arrived before midnight to claim an early spot.

She hasn’t stepped inside the center in 40 years.

“That was for Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1978,” McKinney said. “I haven’t been this excited since. It’s like being a groupie again.”

She said she sees Trump’s presidency as heaven-sent.

“I have a son in the Navy, and I wouldn’t have slept a night if Hillary had been elected,” McKinney said. “I think God sent Trump because he loves Trump, too.”

She said she’s for everything the president’s done so far, from the Kavanaugh nomination to the Supreme Court to a trade war. The warnings of higher prices and budget shortfalls down the road don’t bother her.

“I want to hear the things nobody will report, and he’ll tell us,” McKinney said. “None of these other countries are playing fair. He’ll make them. We bought a new car and made improvements to our house last year. We couldn’t do that under Bush or Obama.”

Jerry Sheffield first in line

Jerry Sheffield of Jonesborough, Tenn., showed up first. His friend Nathan Raines got there second in a star-spangled Uncle Sam suit and top hat.

“I work at a theater, so I just grabbed a little bit of everything,” Raines said.

They hope to hear tonight about the Kavanaugh nomination, about the wall along the Mexico border they want to see built and about trade deals with Canada and other nations.

“We love Trump, and we love what he does for our police and our country,” Sheffield said. “Sometimes when you’re fixing something, you’ve got to break it.”

Some of the crowd haven’t seen the president in person before. Others have seen him dozens of times.

Kiczen and a friend, Brendan Gutenschwager of Wyandotte, Mich., make a habit of going to rallies together. He’s been to 23 so far, counting today’s.

“I think this is a historic moment, and I want to see history being made,” he said. “I don’t agree with everything Trump says, like on climate change. But I love the energy and the atmosphere.”

Brittany Crocker contributed to this report.