Jeff Burlew

Democrat senior writer

6:30 p.m. update

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Hundreds of people were arriving this afternoon at a Panama City Beach amphitheater, waiting for the arrival of Donald Trump for an evening rally and casting aside doubts about the future of his campaign.

“He’s running for president, not choir boy,” said Marilee Denton, a retired dental hygienist from Lynn Haven. “He’s a strong man and a businessman who can change things.”

Trump is expected to draw thousands to the amphitheater in Pier Park, located just across coastal Highway 98 from the beach. The rally is set to begin 7:30 p.m. Central time.

His fans posed for selfies in front of a Trump/Pence campaign bus adorned with giant-sized images of the GOP candidates’ faces. They cheered as his campaign commercials played on a large video screen.

“I’m glad we could be with all the ‘deplorables,’ ” quipped Panama City business owner Jan Averett, referring to the way Hillary Clinton once referred to Trump supporters.

Averett, who came to the rally with Denton and another friend, said she was unbothered by audio recordings that surfaced Friday in which Trump could be heard bragging about using his star power to grope women.

“He’s just a man,” she said. “He said things that men say.”

Trump said as much in the immediate aftermath of the audio’s release and during the second presidential debate Sunday, apologizing for his words but calling them “locker room talk.”

Eddie Grice, a retired power plant operator from Tennessee visiting the beach with his family, said Trump bested Clinton in the debate.

“He went in limping, but I believe he came out great,” he said. “It’s funny how that stuff comes out right before (big events).”

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

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Morning update

His campaign still reeling over the release of unearthed lewd audio recordings, Donald Trump heads today to friendly territory, GOP stronghold Bay County, for a rally that’s expected to draw thousands of ardent supporters.

The rally is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Aaron Bessant Park, 600 Pier Park Drive, in Panama City Beach. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

Fallout from the decade-old “hot-mic” audio, in which the billionaire bragged about using his stardom to grope women, continued Tuesday, following its release Friday and another big political moment in the last weeks of the campaign, Sunday’s second presidential debate.

House Speaker Paul Ryan abandoned any effort to help Trump, choosing instead to try to stop Democrats from taking over Congress as part of a Hillary Clinton White House win. Other major GOP figures also jumped ship, including Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Trump, viewed by some to have had a better debate performance than his first, widely panned, outing, has remained defiant throughout the controversy. He apologized for his comments and called them wrong. But he also has dismissed them as locker room talk and a campaign distraction.

Florida, the biggest of the battleground states, is considered a must-win for Trump. Over the coming days, he’s expected to make at least two return trips to the Sunshine State for rallies in Lakeland and West Palm Beach.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.