GOP primary front-runner Donald Trump is postponing a Friday Virginia rally due to safety concerns over Hurricane Joaquin.
The businessman said in a statement that the event “would have been a happening.”
“While we were expecting 10,000 people based on demand, and it would have been a happening, everyone’s safety is of far more importance to me,” Trump said. “We will reschedule the event very soon and I look forward to being there.”
Trump was scheduled to appear at the Wave Convention Center in Virginia Beach, where the 2,500 tickets were quickly scooped up. With demand for more — there was a waiting list for the event — state Del. Scott Taylor, who has not endorsed a presidential candidate, had been talking about trying to find a larger venue.
Hurricane Joaquin has become a punchline for critics of Trump’s immigration policy, who mock the real-estate mogul’s plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Virginia declared a state of emergency on Wednesday because of the impending hurricane, which is expected to drench the state in record rainfalls.
Forecasts predict the hurricane, which hit the Bahamas on Thursday, to veer northwestward toward Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina on Friday.
Officials are warning residents to be careful of flash floods and prepare for power outages over the weekend.