The Phoenix visit also comes on the heels of President Donald Trump recently saying that he is considering pardoning former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. | Nicholas Kamm/Getty Images Trump to hold rally in Phoenix next week

Amid a rocky week of messaging for Donald Trump following a white nationalist rally that turned deadly last weekend, the president is returning to his comfort zone: the campaign rally.

The Trump campaign is set to hold a rally in Phoenix next Tuesday night in what will be his first rally since clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend left one person dead and provided a seemingly unprecedented boost for white nationalists from a modern American president.


Arizona has been a focus of Trump's ire in recent weeks. Sen. John McCain, who is currently battling brain cancer, last month helped sink a seven-year effort by Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act — a move that has drawn ire from the president as his legislative agenda has been stalled on nearly all fronts.

McCain's colleague, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, has also been a target of Trump after writing a book recently that painted the president as a problem for the conservative cause. Flake — a Republican who was critical of Trump throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, has been on the president's enemies list for his constant criticism of the "Make America Great Again" mantra.

The Phoenix visit also comes on the heels of Trump's recent statement that he is considering pardoning former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty two weeks ago of criminal contempt after defying a state judge's order to stop targeting undocumented immigrants during traffic stops.

Arizona's geographic location on the border has been a place where Trump has touted "law and order" immigration policies, most notably including the building of a a wall along the southern border. The House of Representatives recently passed legislation to make a down payment on initial construction of the wall, but its future in the Senate remains perilous.

