Beto O’Rourke to deliver ‘bold, ambitious speech’ fuelling speculation over 2020 presidential bid

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Beto O’Rourke has said he will give a speech from the US-Mexico border where he will deliver a “bold, confident, ambitious message for the country” - as Donald Trump holds a rally at the Democrat's hometown in Texas at the same time.

Mr O'Rourke announced details on Saturday surrounding the upcoming speech in El Paso, Texas, set for Monday at 5pm. He will be one of the main speakers at the “March For Truth” anti-border wall protest hosted by the local chapter of the Women’s March. Meanwhile, the president will be hosting his rally at the nearby El Paso County Coliseum.

“Come one, come all!” Mr O’Rourke wrote on Twitter. “A bold, confident, ambitious message for the country from the US - Mexico border.”

The duelling rallies will likely display clear differences between Mr O’Rourke and the president - particularly on Mr Trump's plans for a border wall.

As Mr Trump visits the border state and urges lawmakers to support his calls for billions of dollars in funding to go towards the wall, Mr O’Rourke is expected to reject those proposals and call for compassion in US immigration policies.

“Monday we will welcome the president to one of the safest cities in the United States,” Mr O’Rourke wrote in a Medium post on Saturday. “Safe not because of walls, and not in spite of the fact that we are a city of immigrants. Safe because we are a city of immigrants and because we treat each other with dignity and respect. A city that has the opportunity to lead on the most important issues before us, out of experience, out of compassion and out of a fierce determination to see this country live its ideals and rise to its full potential.”

Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed claims of an immigration crisis along the nation’s southern border that has led to an increase in violent crimes and economic despair. In his State of the Union address, the president said El Paso’s border walls helped it become one of the nation’s safest cities.

Mr O’Rourke and local leaders have said Mr Trump’s facts are wrong and that walls are irrelevant.

The speech comes as the former Congressman is still deciding on a presidential run.

Mr O’Rourke nearly unseated Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in the 2016 senatorial elections in Texas, despite the state never having a Democrat hold elected office statewide in decades.

Analysts have predicted the Mr O'Rourke could fare well in southern states during a general election amid a crowded field of progressive candidates in the Democratic primaries.

Additional reporting by AP