By the time President Donald Trump speaks in Dallas on Thursday night, dozens of supporters will have waited in line to see him for more than 50 hours.

They say it’s all worth it to see the president speak at a Keep America Great Again campaign rally — Trump’s first rally in Dallas as president. Trump is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Thursday at American Airlines Center.

“We love America. We love our president, and we want to show our support,” said Cindy McCann, 40, of Bedford.

McCann and her daughter, Jessica, 11, arrived outside the venue around 8 p.m. Tuesday, and they don’t plan to leave until they’ve seen the president speak.

“We’re not going anywhere,” McCann said.

By noon Wednesday, the mother and daughter had played catch a couple of times, with gloves and a tennis ball they brought. Jessica, who is home-schooled, would also be taking some lessons to pass the time. Thursday night will be the McCanns’ first time attending a Trump rally, but Cindy McCann said they watch all of his rallies online.

It’s not just North Texans who were waiting in line to see the president. Some drove in from other cities such as Austin. Richard Snowden flew in from Las Vegas.

Snowden was the first in line for Thursday night’s rally, arriving at Victory Plaza at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday. He spent the night trying to get some sleep outside the arena in a lawn chair at the corner of Olive and Houston streets — with the exception of about three hours when he slept in a car.

Thursday’s rally will be Snowden’s 58th to attend. He said he’s traveled over 62,000 miles to attend Trump rallies — waiting out lines in the snow in Iowa, rain in Orlando, Fla., and heat in New Mexico.

“I’ve never in all my life seen this type of political phenomenon. It’s truly phenomenal to witness,” Snowden said of why he’s attended so many of Trump’s rallies.

“It’s great to be around fellow Trump supporters,” Snowden said, adding that he’s made several friends while waiting for the events.

1 / 5Lacey Green (center left) and her mother Tammy Gonzales (center right) from San Antonio, Texas, have their photo taken while they camp out in line in front of the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. President Donald Trump will host a rally at the center on Thursday evening.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer) 2 / 5Blake Marnell wears a brick suit while camping out in line in front of the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. President Donald Trump will host a rally at the center on Thursday evening.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer) 3 / 5A supporter of President Donald Trump wears her new pins while camping out in line in front of the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. President Trump will host a rally at the center on Thursday evening.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer) 4 / 5(From left) Janice Hawley and Jay Hawley, from Dallas, and Benita Russell from Fort Worth, Texas, camp out in line in front of the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. President Donald Trump will host a rally at the center on Thursday evening.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer) 5 / 5Glen Collins, from Waco, Texas, camps out in line in front of the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. President Donald Trump will host a rally at the center on Thursday evening.(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer)

Brandon Stout, 39, drove in from Austin on Tuesday to attend the rally, arriving not long after Snowden. Stout, who works for a tech company, said he took vacation time to see the president. On his way to Dallas, he picked up his son Kaden, 19, in Waco.

“It’s a historical time right now in regards to politics,” Stout said.

Thursday night’s rally will be Stout’s second — he also saw Trump speak in Houston. For that rally, Stout said he was 35th in line, but by the time the doors opened, about 200 people were ahead of him. This time, he didn’t want to take any chances.

“We want to get a good line of sight,” Stout said.

Also making the drive from Austin was Mercy Hunter, 45, who arrived in Dallas around 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Hunter said she made the trip because it was within driving distance of Austin. Identifying as Latina, Hunter said the issue she was most passionate about was Trump’s promise to build a wall along the southern border.

“He’s actually looking out for the American people,” she said.

Within a couple of hours of waiting outside, Hunter said she had picked up on a sense of camaraderie among those waiting outside. Snowden and Stout also said they had enjoyed getting to meet other Trump supporters.

“It feels like a big tailgate party,” Hunter said, adding that she saw people offering to watch others’ belongings if they needed to step out of line.

Rally attendees will have more to do to pass the time Thursday. On Wednesday, the Trump campaign added a daylong “45 Fest” outside the arena starting at 10:30 a.m., featuring food trucks, live music and big-screen TVs.

That sense of togetherness will meet some opposition Thursday afternoon, when anti-Trump protesters are expected to gather outside the venue before the rally.

As a precaution, some residence complexes nearby were beefing up security for Thursday by adding extra patrol and limiting guest parking. One apartment complex in the area even encouraged residents to work from home if possible.

McCann said they had already encountered heckling Wednesday morning from someone driving by, but she wasn’t concerned.

“If I felt there could be a threat, I wouldn’t bring my daughter,” she said.