Threatened with indictment, Donald Trump is holding his first campaign rally for Saturday’s presidential election in an iconic location, the Texas city of Waco, scene 30 years ago of a deadly attack on a cult targeting federal power.
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The former US President, who – wrongly – claimed he would be “arrested” in New York on March 21 over a payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels will take the stage at 5pm local time ( 22:00 GMT ), for his “first rally for the 2024 election”.
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 where armed supporters of guru David Koresh were holed up. 76 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 AFP’s inquiries after Waco was chosen for the rally.
The former president, who is also under investigation into his lobbying work in the 2020 Georgia election and the handling of classified White House records, regularly poses as a victim of a mysterious “shadow state.”
The spectacular FBI search of his Florida home? “A Shocking Abuse of Power”. The two infamous Congressional impeachments against him? “A Witch Hunt”.
small dance steps
By returning to his base at a gathering 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 little dance steps or throwing his famous red hats into the crowd have become iconic among his supporters.
In the Texas city, some of his fans were stomping with impatience on Friday night, visibly unconcerned about their idol’s legal problems.
“Everything is distorted to give him a bad image,” Kelly Heath, 49, told AFP, describing it as an attempt to “silence him.”
Most importantly, this rally offers the Republican an opportunity to breathe new life into his campaign, which is currently not enjoying the momentum he had hoped for, even though most polls give him a primary election victory.
The billionaire, who against all odds continues to conjure up alleged “scams” that were never proven in the 2020 election, has also seen a segment of the right – and particularly its wealthy donors – turn to new hard-right champion Ron DeSantis , 44, turned .
Florida’s governor is yet to officially run, but will undoubtedly be one of his closest rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination.