AUSTIN, TX — Seeing a GOP presidential candidate campaigning in red state Texas, especially this late in the game, is as unusual as the copious amounts of August rain that have visited Central Texas of late. Such aberrations notwithstanding, Republican nominee Donald Trump is scheduled to be in Austin Tuesday for a rally and to raise some cash.

But his presence won't go undetected. A group of activists have organized a protest outside the prominent downtown venue where Trump will conduct an interview with Fox News. And the county's eccentric GOP Party chairman released a statement separately saying he, too, would protest Trump's presence. Trump had already scheduled a trip to Texas to attend private fundraisers in Fort Worth and Austin, his first trip to the Lone Star State since becoming the nominee and his second so far after previous stops in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio in June to raise campaign cash (he's no longer "self-funding," as he boasted he would be doing in the early parts of his campaign).

But on Friday, Trump's camp revealed the real estate mogul would also attend a rally, scheduled at 7:30 p.m. at Luedecke Arena, part of the exposition arena at 7311 Decker Lane. He also will arrive at the downtown ACL Live at the Moody Theater to tape a two-hour interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News. At the downtown venue, he'll be met with people protesting parts of his campaign message who will dress as clowns to make a statement about what they think of the Republican presidential nominee. Organizers of the protest take particular umbrage at Trump's continued insistence on cracking down on immigration, including his calls for a ban of Muslim immigrants, should he become president.

"In many ways, Donald Trump is a peddler of fear and hate," Rocio Villalobos, one of the organizers for tomorrow's protest outside the Moody Theater, told Patch in a telephone interview. "The way he's spoken about members of the Hispanic community, calling them all criminals and rapists; the way he's spoken about building a wall and having Mexico pay for it; the way he's spoken about Muslims," she added, ticking off a few examples of Trump's rhetoric. "It's really dangerous," Villalobos said. "He's more intent on creating division with people who are already feeling marginalized. It's just encouraging people to mistrust and look at them as their enemy rather than as fellow human beings," she said of Trump-fueled divisions between immigrants and those feeling aggrieved by their growing numbers.

As for encouraging protesters — some 200 of them expected — to dress as clowns: "People might look at it as a group of clowns not taking things seriously, but we do take things seriously," she said. "The fact he's being considered for president is ridiculous."

Dubbed "Chase Trump Out of Austin" (co-dubbed "Fuera de Austin, Trump" in Spanish), the protest is being heavily promoted on a Facebook group page.



"Come down to the ACL Live theater dressed up as a clown and/or with clown noses and hats!" the group beckons on Facebook. "Donald Trump is a joke; his campaign is a circus and should be treated as such. Drums and other instruments for noise-making are encouraged!"

The protesters plan to descend en masse Tuesday in full clown getup at the taping. Doors to the theater are scheduled to be opened to audience members at 1 p.m. After the taping, Trump is scheduled to drop into the Headliners Club, 221 W. 6th St., for a fundraiser.