Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had 30,000 people attend his rally in Mobile, Alabama, on Friday, police said, narrowly edging out Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders for the largest crowd of the 2016 campaign season so far.
The much hyped rally was held at Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium, which hosts the Senior Bowl and the GoDaddy.com Bowl college football games. Trump said his campaign had to switch the location of the event twice after demand for tickets exceeded capacity.
Until Trump's event Friday night, the largest crowd at candidate's rally this election cycle was at an event held by Sanders earlier this month in Portland, Oregon, where 28,000 people showed up.
The crowd size was indicative of the enthusiasm Trump has garnered, even as he has made headlines for his comments about Megyn Kelly, illegal immigration, and Arizona Sen. John McCain. Fans lined up hours before the event started to ensure they were in the stadium when he spoke.
“I love Donald Trump and I don’t care what they say about him,” Donna Raustler, of Mobile, Alabama, said while waiting in line. “He’s honest and we need a businessman to finally run the United States instead of a politician.”
ABC News' Tom Llamas and Chris Donato contributed reporting.