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Donald Trump made his first public appearance since speculating a week ago that he would soon be arrested, amid multiple criminal investigations that have plagued him since he stepped down as president in January 2021. vehemently opposed.
At an airfield rally in Waco, Texas, in front of thousands of supporters, the former president called a New York City investigation into hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels abusive.
“The New York District Attorney, under the auspices and direction of the Washington, D.C. Fraud Division, is investigating me for something that isn’t a crime, a misdemeanor, or an affair,” says Daniels.
Every part of his personal, financial and business life was “upside down and analyzed,” he said, but he professed to be “the most innocent man in the history of our country.” .
Over the past week, Trump has posted threatening statements on his social media websites about “death and ruin” if indicted, but avoided such dire warnings during his speech. On a sunny afternoon in Waco, Texas, the rally felt like a campaign rally with a carnival-like atmosphere for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Thousands of supporters of the former president wandered through Trump’s merchandise tents, where they bought T-shirts emblazoned with “God, guns, and Trump” and “Trump won.” We packed onto the asphalt tarmac at our local airport a few hours before our private jet was scheduled to land.
They waited in the heat for the songs of Abba, Frank Sinatra and Bon Jovi to blast through the speakers.
Rock star Ted Nugent played what was billed as a “fire-breathing” rendition of the US national anthem on his electric guitar. He said he was wrongfully imprisoning Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Florida Rep. Matt Gates and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green also took the stage to attack New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who will decide in the coming days whether to indict Trump. bottom.
“This attack is a vicious weaponization of the justice system aimed at influencing the 2024 presidential election.”
The crowd, expected to reach 15,000 by the Trump campaign, booed when Bragg’s name was mentioned, but few were concerned about the investigation in New York.
“I don’t listen to negativity,” said Debbie Harvey of Midlothian, Texas, a town near Dallas. “I hope he is not prosecuted. God still answers prayers.”
“It doesn’t seem like a big deal,” said Brian Nobby, who lives in nearby Copperas Cove. “And now they seem to be debating whether or not to file charges.”
Nobby and his friend Richard Turner, who, like Harvey, were at the first Trump rally, wore a commemorative T that read, “Trump in Texas: I Was There – Where Have You Been?” I bought a shirt. They said they would stick with Trump, even if the 2024 Republican primary would likely give him more options.
Turner pointed out that Trump’s most powerful rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has yet to prove he can make it on the national stage, adding: “He’s proven he can get things done. I have proved it,” he said.
Leading up to the Waco rally, many news outlets and Trump critics questioned why the former president held the first mega rally of his 2024 campaign in Waco. It is where federal and state authorities were involved in the use of force 30 years ago. A branch that killed 86 people in conflict with his Davidian religious cult.
It was an incident that helped fuel anti-government movements in the United States, as terms like Nugent’s “jackboot thug” were frequently used to describe federal attorneys.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told the crowd that such connections were abusive and “fake news.”
“I chose Waco,” he said. “The president called me a few weeks ago and said, ‘I’m coming to Texas. Pick a great city.'”
The president’s plane arrived early in the evening in what looks like the dramatic airfield landing he signed for the 2016 and 2020 election campaigns. The new “Trump Force One” circled the airfield as “Danger Zone,” the popular song from the movie Top Gun. with loudspeakers. Meanwhile, a speed artist painted a frowning portrait of the former president on stage.
The piece turned out to accurately predict the mood the beleaguered former president brought to his appearance. Ultimately he’ll flaunt his record and promise a brighter future for America if elected, but it’s clear his legal troubles and the possibility of imminent arrest are on his mind. was.
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