President Donald Trump is back at the White House after rain forced his motorcade onto North Texas highways Thursday, trading a short flight for a drive from Denton to a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, and back.
He had spent the afternoon at the Peterbilt plant in Denton. The plan was to fly from there to Durant Regional Airport for a Republican midterm rally at the Choctaw Event Center. Weather made that landing impossible. On Truth Social, Trump told the crowd there had been a major weather delay, that planes and helicopters could not land, and that they were driving up from Texas. He also wrote that the Beast, the armored presidential limousine, was going faster than it ever had.
KTEN reported he had been scheduled to fly in after the Denton stop. Cameras caught the motorcade heading north on U.S. 75 through Denison. He stepped on stage at 7:51 p.m., nearly two hours after a scheduled 6 o’clock appearance. The drive between the two stops is roughly 80 to 100 miles and usually takes about an hour and 40 minutes.
🚨 BREAKING: The Secret Service and US military informed President Trump it's TOO DANGEROUS to fly into Oklahoma for his rally tonight due to weather…
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 1, 2026
So 47 decided to take the motorcade 100 MILES to Durant, to not let the patriots down who’re waiting at the rally. What a… pic.twitter.com/rdd4EGDokR
KXII reportedKXII reported that Durant police confirmed his arrival at 7:09 p.m. Speakers already on the program included Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Trump wrapped up his remarks around 9:15 p.m. Whitesboro police and fire crews helped with traffic control as the motorcade passed through town. The Bryan County sheriff’s office said the stop was the third visit to the area by a sitting president.
The rally was part of a two-state day aimed at the November midterms. In Denton, Trump talked up jobs, tariffs and tax cuts and urged support for Attorney General Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race. In Durant, he told the crowd the trip had not been easy and that advisers had raised canceling the Oklahoma stop. He said he refused.
No injuries were reported from the motorcade. Traveling reporters said a press van in the line reached 98 mph on the wet highway. Trump did not release a measured speed for the Beast itself.
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