Waco— Die-hard fans of Donald Trump flocked to the former president’s election rally in Waco, Texas, on Saturday, full of defiance as their favorite candidate faced overlapping threats of criminal prosecution.
Several thousand Trump supporters lined up outside the Waco Regional Airport waiting to go through security and enter the event, with the first speaker scheduled for 2 p.m.
The crowd, many of them wearing Trump T-shirts and hats, erupted in applause as Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s most vocal supporters in Congress, entered the venue.
Laurie Hansen, 57, said that Trump was “the best President in history.” “He’s the only one who can bring our country back. We’re on a precipice. It’s time to put our foot down and say, ‘No more,'” she said.
Like others at the rally, Hansen dismissed rumors that Trump could be prosecuted on charges that he violated campaign finance laws by paying secret money to an adult film actress, or amassed top-secret documents, or planned to a plot to nullify the 2020 election.
“It’s all political witch hunts,” said Hansen, a sales coordinator who drove three hours from Sherman, Texas. “We all know that.”
The rally is taking place in Waco as the city marks the 30th anniversary of a raid by federal agents on the Branch Davidians religious sect that resulted in 86 deaths, including four law enforcement officers.
Many right-wing extremists see the raid as a pivotal moment of government overreach, and critics saw the timing of the rally as a nod to far-right Trump supporters.
In an email, a Trump campaign spokesperson said Waco was chosen for what the former president called his first major rally of the 2024 presidential race because it is nestled between several major population centers and has the infrastructure to host a great event.
Trump, who is seeking to solidify support for the Republican nomination in 2024, faces growing legal danger from a series of ongoing criminal investigations, including the secret money case, which is being evaluated by prosecutors in Manhattan.
With information from Reuters
