WACO, Texas – Thousands of Donald Trump’s most loyal fans gathered for a rally at Waco Regional Airport Saturday, hoping to lift the scandal-plagued and increasingly isolated candidate back to the top of the Republican Party and to the presidency.
The Trump campaign billed the appearance in Waco as the first public meeting of the former president’s third White House bid.
This is an ideal location for Trump. Back in the 2020 election, he beat Democratic rival Joe Biden by more than 23 percentage points in McLennan County, which includes Waco. And the symbolism appeared in the city, the site of the federal government’s 1993 siege on the Branch Davidian religious group’s weapons cache that left many dead, jibes with Trump’s fierce anti-establishment streak.
Waving banners reading “Take America Back” and wearing American-flag stripes, supporters rejected a long string of allegations threatening to land Trump in legal trouble.
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Texas native Manuel Flores flew in from California to attend the rally with his family.
“It’s an amazing crowd,” Flores told HuffPost. “Apart from all the controversy with Donald Trump, I’m glad that we have a very good energy here … Hopefully, this rally will work, and we will have a good president again.”
But Trump faces a long battle to save the devotion he once enjoyed in Texas, as he stumbles through several high-profile investigations as he tries to fight the hard way.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office is conducting a grand jury investigation into cash payments to adult movie stars that Trump says will end with an indictment.
The former president also faces a federal investigation into the handling of classified documents at his Florida home, an investigation into his role in the 2021 riots at the US Capitol, a criminal investigation in Georgia for allegedly interfering in the 2020 presidential election, and a civil lawsuit that could lead to the revocation of business rights in New York.
However, none of that has diminished Trump’s stature in the eyes of his most enthusiastic supporters.
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“If they have some serious costs, it can change their minds,” said Craig Cantrell, who drove in with his wife from nearby Rockdale.
“They’ve been after this poor guy for one thing,” Austin resident Colleen Ford told HuffPost. “Do I think he’s polarizing? Yes, he is. And he’s a jerk, the way he talks to people. But if I’m going to hire a supervisor, I’m not going to do it based on personality… I’m going to choose the best person for the job.
Several Texas politicians plan to attend the rally, with no members of the state’s congressional delegation confirmed to attend as of Thursday, according to Insider.
Partly because Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — already Trump’s most formidable primary challenger in the 2024 presidential election, even though he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy — is now favored by Texas conservatives.
Several polls conducted last month showed DeSantis running neck and neck with Trump. Meanwhile, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) has endorsed DeSantis in the primary. And the Florida governor’s signature culture war agenda has become a model for Republicans in the Texas Capitol.