Mike Pence's Rosemont Visit To Draw Protests On Both Sides

ROSEMONT, IL — Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to talk about U.S. tax reform Friday at an event in Rosemont. Organizers are preparing for potential protests, and federal and state authorities have been working with village officials over security for the engagement, which is sponsored by America First Policies.

Pence's speech is set for 12:30 p.m. Friday, July 13, at The Westin O'Hare hotel, 6100 N. River Road, with doors opening at 10:30 a.m. Tickets for the event are free on a first-come, first-served basis and can be found at the website for America First Policies, which is connected to the President Donald Trump-affiliated America First Action super PAC.

After the Rosemont event, the vice president will head to Chicago to attend a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam. That fundraiser is not open to the public, and an invitation asked for a $25,000-a-couple donation, according to Politico.

Possible demonstrations — supporting and protesting the Trump administration — are expected at Pence's Rosemont speech, and that has necessitated a large law enforcement presence, according to the Daily Herald. The Rosemont Public Safety Department — along with the Secret Service, Illinois State Police and Chicago Police Department — has been preparing security measures for the event, the report added.

"He's the vice president, and we know there's going to be protests," Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens told the Herald. "We'll have as many [police] there as needed."

The vice president's visit Friday also will affect traffic in the area. Road construction on Higgins Road will be halted by the Illinois Department of Transportation because of the increased traffic volume Friday, the report stated. Street closings are expected, and village officials will urge motorists to avoid the area around the hotel, the report added.

Pence, the former governor of Indiana, has not been shy about visiting the Chicago area in recent years. In 2016, he attended his daughter's graduation from DePaul University at Rosemont's Allstate Arena, and later that year, he was in Chicago for a Republican fundraiser. Last year, he returned to Chicago for a Republican National Committee retreat.

The Chicago-area stops are part of a larger Midwest tour by the vice president this week. Although the Chicago events aren't sponsored by the state GOP, Pence's visits have been an effort by the administration to rally its base in battleground districts during this year's midterm elections, Politico reports. His appearances also have been a damage control effort to counter backlash over the Trump administration's current trade war, the report added.

More via Politico and the Daily Herald

Vice President Mike Pence (Photo by Alex Wong | Getty Images)