Savannah Mayor Van Johnson has addressed concerns regarding the venue selection for former President Donald Trump's recent campaign rally at the Johnny Mercer Theatre. As thousands of Trump supporters lined up outside the Savannah Civic Center in anticipation of the rally, some expressed frustration over the choice of venue. Despite speculations, Mayor Johnson clarified that the city of Savannah had no involvement in the decision-making process.

In response to inquiries from WTOC, Mayor Johnson stated that the City of Savannah's role was limited to providing first responder and emergency management services. He emphasized that the Oak View Group manages the Enmarket Arena as a business entity and that the Trump campaign could have utilized the larger venue if they had chosen to do so. Ultimately, it was the campaign's decision to select the 2,565-seat Johnny Mercer Theatre over the 9,500-seat Enmarket Arena for the rally.

City Press Secretary Josh Peacock echoed Mayor Johnson's statements, emphasizing that the Mayor and city staff were not responsible for booking venues for political events. Both the Enmarket Arena and Johnny Mercer Theatre are managed by a third party, Oak View Group (OVG), which handles the booking process for political campaigns. While both venues were available for the Trump campaign rally, it was the campaign that toured and selected the Johnny Mercer Theatre for the event.

The city of Savannah further clarified that the decision-making process was entirely in the hands of the Trump campaign, as they evaluated both venues and ultimately settled on the Johnny Mercer Theatre. The choice of venue, with its 2,565-seat capacity, was deemed more suitable and easier to fill by the campaign organizers. Mayor Johnson and city officials reiterated that their involvement was merely limited to providing essential services and that the venue selection was independent of city influence.