Phoenix Mayor Stanton calls on Trump to delay visit, says too close to Charlottesville uproar

President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign-style rally in downtown Phoenix on Tuesday, making his first presidential trip to the West as his administration confronts an uproar over his tepid response to a deadly white supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump will take the stage at the Phoenix Convention Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m., according to an announcement Wednesday morning. Attendees must register to obtain tickets.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton wrote in a statement Wednesday he was disappointed to learn of Trump's visit so close to the violent events in Charlottesville. The mayor called on Trump to delay the visit.

"If President Trump is coming to Phoenix to announce a pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, then it will be clear that his true intent is to enflame emotions and further divide our nation," the statement said.

The visit, his first to Arizona since winning the White House, comes at a critical time. He has faced mounting criticism for blaming "both sides" for the violence in Charlottesville and his policy agenda has been dealt a serious setback following the Senate's failure to repeal portions of "Obamacare."

Reliably red Arizona voted for Trump in November and has provided an enthusiastic backdrop for past rallies. But it's also home to two of his favorite targets, Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, who are among his most vocal Republican critics.

McCain forcefully argued for a return to civility and regular order in his return to the Senate after revealing he has a brain tumor. McCain later helped torpedo Republicans' efforts to repeal and replace portions of the Affordable Care Act.

And Flake, who is running for re-election in 2018, this month published a book critical of "Trumpism," calling for a "rejection of destructive politics and a return to principle." Trump has threatened to help finance a Republican challenger to Flake — saying he'd provide $10 million — but it's unclear if he will follow through.

The visit also comes as Trump has discussed a presidential pardon for another controversial Arizona Republican, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, 85, who has been convicted of criminal contempt after a judge found he had defied a court order intended to stamp out his signature immigration patrols.

Trump told Fox News this week that he is "seriously considering" a pardon for Arpaio, who is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 5 and could spend up to six months in jail.

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It is unclear which Arizona leaders will join Trump at the rally. In the past, speakers have included state Treasurer Jeff DeWit, Gov. Doug Ducey, former Gov. Jan Brewer, and Arpaio, who lost his re-election bid last year.

The Phoenix Convention Center was a familiar stop for Trump during the campaign. It's where Trump held one of his first large campaign events, promising Arizona supporters he would help them "take our country back," and it's also where, in a closely-watched speech in August 2016, he detailed his plan to combat illegal immigration.

In preparation for the rally, Stanton wrote that he and police officers are focused on "keeping everyone — those attending the rally, those expressing their First Amendment rights outside and the general public — safe."

Republic reporters Dan Nowicki and Megan Cassidy contributed. Follow the reporter on Twitter @yvonnewingett and reach her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4712.

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