Donald Trump was criticized for lack of energy during his speech in North Carolina on Saturday.
The former president, 76, was speaking at both the state convention in Greensboro and a GOP convention in Columbus, Georgia — just a day after the Justice Department revealed 37 charges against him in his classified documents case.
During his successive speeches, Trump lacked the vigor and panache he was used to — and this was quickly noticed by many in the audience and at home.
Some of them pointed to the differences between that campaign and his 2016 campaign and questioned whether the unusually monotonous president announced his appearance
Trump told the North Carolina crowd, “In the end, they’re not after me, they’re after you, and I’m just standing in their way.”
Donald Trump delivers his speech on June 10, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Throughout his successive speeches, Trump lacked his usual energy and panache, as viewers in the audience and at home noted
“The baseless indictment against me by the Biden administration’s armed Justice Department will go down in history as one of the most horrifying abuses of power in our country’s history.”
A person who was in the room listening to the speech in North Carolina afterwards told : “He was like I’d never seen him before.”
Another member of the audience added, “I saw him in 2016 and 2020 and he was drinking a lot from the crowd then… maybe he was just tired.”
The MAGA people, who cheered and chanted Trump’s name, also experienced a delay with his first standing ovation an hour into the event – when he mentioned critical race theory.
At previous rallies, he frequently received a standing ovation as soon as he first appeared on stage and began speaking.
The notion that Trump’s energy for the North Carolina incident has slacked has also circulated online — some believe it’s because he’s “running out of sleep” over the indictment.
One person online said, “Trump looks really, really bad looking.” Just a tired, sad old geezer, repeating himself and fixated on things, is a sign of early dementia. “The Trump kids need to find a place for dad.”
Another said, “Trump was really low on energy today.”
A third added, “Trump may have delivered his least energetic speech ever in North Carolina,” while another claimed, “Trump 16 would be embarrassed by Trump 24’s campaign energy.”
And another of Trump’s supporters said: “I’ve never seen a Trump rally with so little energy like today.” Trump sounds exhausted.
“Same made-up stories every time.” Conspiracy theories, schism and all that. I guess he’s losing sleep over these charges. Don’t worry Donny, there’s more to come!’
One person who listened to the speech from home said: “I was watching the local news tonight and they were showing a clip of Trump, he sounds very low energy, no enthusiasm at all.”
Another person remarked, “Super upsetting and drained of energy.” “That’s not Trump from 2016.”
Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday that he had read the indictment detailing the federal allegations against former President Donald Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case.
He declined to share his personal reaction to the contents of the indictment — which includes photos of boxes of classified information stacked in a bathroom and on a ballroom stage — or to criticize Trump, whom he nominated for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in the Year 2024 challenges.
“I’ve read the indictment,” Pence said in an interview with the Associated Press in North Carolina, where he addressed state Republicans.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday he read the indictment detailing the federal allegations against former President Donald Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case
He is said to have kept the documents – 184 of which contained classified information – in a ballroom and bathroom at his resort, among other places
“I also know that every American has a right to the presumption of innocence.” And as I said today, we now know the Justice Department’s perspective on these matters. But the former president has the right to present his defense. And we don’t know what the facts are about that.’
“That’s why I said today that I will urge patience and encourage people to pray for the former President, but also for all authorities and for the country to come,” said Pence, who officially launched his 2024 campaign this week.
This comes after Trump said he would continue his bid for the White House in 2024 even if he was convicted of illegally storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home.
The former president, 76, has vowed to “never leave” the political sphere as he continues his campaign to run for the Republican nomination in the next election.
Trump told Politico aboard his plane today, “I will never go.” Look, if I had gone, I would have gone before the original race in 2016. This was a difficult matter. “Theoretically, that wasn’t feasible.”
Even if Trump theoretically became a convicted felon or went to jail, the law would not bar him from running for president.
And he confirmed that a conviction would not slow him down in the 2024 election campaign.
As of June 9, Trump is still the poll favorite among the Republican nominees — 32 points ahead of second-place finisher Ron DeSantis.
Trump also slammed the people filing charges against him today, adding, “These are thugs and degenerates… they’re after me,” while continuing to staunchly protest his innocence.
Donald Trump made his first public appearance since his Georgia indictment documents were unsealed
A photo released by the US Department of Justice shows boxes of documents stored in a bathroom at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in early 2021
He told Politico, “I don’t want to be charged.” I was never charged. I’ve been doing this my whole life, now I get charged every two months. It was political.’
Trump also appeared in Georgia today after it was revealed Trump left secret documents strewn in his bathroom and on the stage at the Mar-a-Lago Ballroom and boasted to aides that he stole military secrets, the stunning read Indictment unsealed by the Justice Department on Friday.
Extraordinary photos revealed in the damning file support claims that Trump official Walt Nauta went into a storage room and found “Five Eyes” intelligence files on allies including the UK and Australia spilled on the floor.
The ex-president lamented that President Joe Biden had more boxes of materials in his possession that he shouldn’t have taken from the White House and said the Justice Department was refusing to investigate.
Of the 37 charges, 31 relate to the willful withholding of national defense information under the Espionage Act. He is due to appear in court in Miami Tuesday afternoon and has already stated that he will plead not guilty.
The details laid out are far more devastating than first thought and could put Trump in serious legal jeopardy, with the risk of decades in prison if convicted.
Today in Georgia, Trump attacked the “corrupt” and “armed” Justice Department, telling the rally, “Every time I fly over a blue state, I get a subpoena.”
“We want him before a grand jury,” Trump said in a voice imitating Democrats who want to see him behind bars.
“The only good thing about it is that it boosted my poll numbers significantly, can you believe that?” he half-joked.
Rep. Greene, who was invited onto the stage by Trump during his speech, said, “That’s something you know, that’s something I know — President Trump is beating Biden in poll after poll.”
“Let’s bring Trump back to the White House for another four years,” she told the crowd as she broke into a chant of “Four more years.”
He remains the Republican leader, 34 points ahead of his main rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with 538 points according to a poll.