Trump fans camp overnight in freezing cold for New Jersey rally

Thousands of people are expected to fill a convention hall on a popular stretch of the New Jersey shore for another one of Donald Trump's strident, long-winded campaign rallies - his first in the state since taking office.

Dozens of the president's supporters began lining up in the cold outside the hall as early as Sunday, two days before Mr Trump was set to appear in the conservative-leaning seaside resort town of Wildwood.

Roughly 7,400 people will squeeze inside a convention hall, and hundreds of others are expected to watch from screens mounted on the boardwalk outside, where one man told the New York Times that the energy reminded him of Christmas Eve, "and tomorrow Santa's coming".

Mr Trump lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 14 per cent in the Democrat-held state, and a push for a "blue wave" in midterm elections helped flip four Republican-held congressional seats in 2018.

But the Cape County resort town, roughly 160 miles south of New York City, is represented by Congressman Jeff Van Drew, who recently switched political parties from Democrat to Republican following the House vote to impeach the president.

Wildwood's Mayor Pete Byron, a Democrat, says he's banned from attending.

Following his defection, Mr Van Drew said the party switch is a "better fit" and pledged his "undying support" to Mr Trump. In return, Mr Trump and Vice President Mike Pence said they would endorse the congressman in his 2020 campaign.

A recently revealed phone recording captured Mr Van Drew telling a constituent, weeks before his party switch, that he "will not vote" for Mr Trump

In a message obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer last week, he said: "I haven't voted for him, I didn't support him, I will not vote for him."

He said he would "rather just beat him in a normal election" than support impeachment.

His potentially murky path to re-election in 2020 may also have influenced his pivot. Internal polling from the the congressman's camp showed that a plurality of respondents wanted someone new in his seat, mirroring similar polls that showed 60 per cent of respondents believed "someone new" should serve his district.

Tuesday night's rally has attracted a counter-protest, where more than two dozen progressive groups are expected to hold demonstrations and speak-outs against the administration as well as the district's recently Republican congressman.

The county's Indivisible chapter said it feels a "moral obligation to show up and take a stand, rejecting the racism, bigotry, misogyny, violence, and corruption of this administration".

"Instead, we celebrate our diversity -- which truly makes us great", the group said. "We celebrate our grassroots unity, the fact that we are all stronger together, and that we can build on this power and make this country better for all of us."

Meanwhile, the rally's draw has proven to be somewhat of an economic boom for the summer destination, now flickering with activity in the middle of winter, with sold-out hotel rooms and reopened restaurants catering to die-hard supporters of the president.

Mr Trump will take the stage after his legal counsel closes their arguments in his impeachment trial in the Senate.

As with his previous rallies, the president basks in the support of his cheering crowds on otherwise damning days for his administration, as he did on the day of his impeachment, when he told supporters in Michigan that "it doesn't feel like we're being impeached" as members of Congress prepared to cast their votes.