Threatened with indictment, Donald Trump offers his first campaign meeting on Saturday for the presidential election in a highly symbolic place, the Texas town of Waco, the scene 30 years ago of a deadly assault against a sect opposed to power federal.
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The former US president, who claimed – wrongly – that he would be “arrested” on March 21 in New York in a case of payment to the pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, will go on stage at 5 p.m. local time, for his “ first rally for the 2024 election”.
“Big crowd in Texas – See you later!” Donald Trump said Saturday on his Truth Social social network.
The city of Waco, population 130,000, remains associated with the anti-government Davidian sect.
In the spring of 1993, the world was suspended for 51 days by the FBI’s siege of a ranch in which armed followers of guru David Koresh had entrenched themselves. Seventy-six members of the sect, including 20 children, were found dead after the ranch fire. Four police officers were also killed.
Donald Trump’s campaign team did not respond to requests from AFP about the choice of Waco for the meeting.
The former president, also under threat from investigations into his 2020 Georgia election lobbying and handling of classified White House records, regularly poses as a victim of a mysterious “shadow state.”
The spectacular FBI search of his residence in Florida? “A shocking abuse of power”. The two infamous congressional impeachment proceedings against him? “A witch hunt”.
little dance steps
By returning to his base in a meeting in Waco – where up to 15,000 people are expected – Donald Trump is also reconnecting with an exercise he loves. The scenes of the former president sketching small dance steps, or throwing his famous red caps to the crowd are now cult among his followers.
In the Texas city, some of his admirers were already stamping their feet with impatience on Friday evening, visibly unconcerned by the legal troubles of their idol.
“Everything is distorted to give him a bad image,” Kelly Heath, 49, told AFP, seeing it as an attempt to “silence” him.
On Saturday, outside the meeting near Waco airport, a 72-year-old retiree, Louis, accompanied by his 16-year-old grandson, whom he says is a “big fan” of Trump even though he doesn’t is not old enough to vote, he says that “all presidents have had mistresses. Why not him?
Julie, who comes from the city of Tyler in Texas, assures for her part that the case of Stormy Daniels is “not a great cause. She came out of nowhere to see how much money she could get” from Donald Trump.
“These are lies. He’s the boss and he’s going to save America,” adds Sherry, 55.
Many stalls sell the full panoply of the Trump brand, from “Trump 2024” and “Trump Girl” caps to a white shirt with the slogan: “God, guns, Trump in Waco, Texas”.
A sign assures that “the democrats are communists”.
Above all, this meeting offers the Republican the opportunity to breathe new life into his campaign, which for the moment does not enjoy the hoped-for momentum even if most polls give him the winner of a primary.
The billionaire, who continues against all odds to evoke supposed “frauds” never proven in the 2020 election, has also seen part of the right – and in particular his wealthy donors – turn to the new champion of the right. tough, Ron DeSantis, 44.
The governor of Florida is not yet officially launched in the race, but will undoubtedly be one of his biggest rivals for the Republican nomination in 2024.