With tents, sleeping bags and coolers of water in tow, Donald Trump supporters began lining up early Monday for today’s campaign rally in Orlando, nearly two full days before the event.

Outside the Amway Center, where President Trump will officially kick off his 2020 re-election bid at 8 p.m., about two dozen people and counting had staked out a spot along Division Street as of Monday morning. The line had grown to about 50 as of 3 p.m. By 9:30 p.m., the line ballooned to about 250, with people snaked around to Central Boulevard. Around the same time, Trump tweeted there were “thousands of people already lined up."

>> Live updates all day today: Trump re-election campaign kickoff events in Orlando are underway

“This is the big one,” said Jennifer Petito, 54, of Melbourne. “This is the mother of all rallies.”

Petitio, who was wearing a pink “Women for Trump” hat and a red-and-white striped fanny pack, was second in line. She said she got there around 2 a.m. Monday — 42 hours before the rally’s start.

The Amway has capacity for about 20,000 people. Trump tweeted Monday that there had been more than 100,000 requests for tickets, and that large screens and food trucks would be on hand for those who can’t get inside.

People in line, sporting red-white-and-blue outfits and Trump’s signature red hats, said they had been told the first 100 people would get to sit in the front row.

City officials had previously said they expected people to start lining up Monday.

Supporters of President Trump in Orlando lined up early for his big re-election rally on Tuesday night.

“We came here thinking if we got here today, we’d be late,” said Ellie Salvador, 67, of Miami. “I want to get inside, not watch him on a TV screen.”

Saundra Kiczenski, 40, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, has been to 28 rallies for Trump. She said she’s waited in line through rain and freezing temperatures to hear the president speak and isn’t worried by the heat and rain expected in Orlando this week.

“I would sit here in the pouring rain,” she said. "It’s just better to get here super early and wait it out.''

Motioning to a patch of mulch and leaves, she said, “It looks like this is going to be a really comfy bed.”

Many people in line had gotten hotel rooms or reserved parking spots nearby and planned to wait in shifts.

Jeanna Gullett, 54, and Anna Connelly, 61, of Inverness, Florida, set up a tent they plan to sleep in and take cover if it rains. They had gallons of water, cans of tuna to make sandwiches, soda and a first-aid kit.

“It’s historic. He’s announcing his candidacy for the presidency," Gullet said. “I think he’ll go down as the best president in history. I really do."

Those in line said there is a camaraderie among supporters. Some had met each other before at past rallies. As new people joined the line, those ahead welcomed them and helped them set up tents and chairs.

While they waited, they listened to Trump speak on the radio and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”

Terri Pietroburgo, 55, of Leesburg, came decked out in all Trump gear: Hat, T-shirt and several pins on the hat and shirt. One pin said “Guns, God and Trump,” while another had First Lady Melania Trump’s picture.

She arrived with her mother around 2 p.m. They were at Trump’s inauguration — a flag from the event was hung between their chairs — and they thought it was important to attend Tuesday’s rally as well. They also camped out the night before a rally last year in Estero.

“I love that he stands up for the unborn, I love that he stands up for Christians, I love that he stands up for Americans," Pietroburgo said.

Lorraine Zampardi, 73, breathed a sigh of relief when she found the end of the line around 2:30 p.m. She came with a former colleague and was excited she’d be able to get inside the arena. There was no way she was missing this, she said.

“I don’t want to be left out in the cold or rain,” she said with a chuckle.

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