Trump casts 2024 contest in apocalyptic terms, slams prosecutors
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[March 27, 2023]
By Nathan Layne
WACO, Texas (Reuters) -Donald Trump used his first election rally in
Waco, Texas, to cast the 2024 presidential vote in apocalyptic terms,
slam his leading Republican rival Ron DeSantis and rail against
prosecutors pursuing him with criminal investigations he likened to a
"Stalinist Russia horror show."
Speaking to several thousand of his diehard supporters, some flashing
signs saying "WITCH HUNT", Trump spent much of his nearly two-hour
speech attacking the multiple investigations that have put him in legal
peril as politically motivated.
Without offering evidence, the leading candidate for the Republican
Party nomination accused the administration of Democratic President Joe
Biden of orchestrating his criminal prosecution to undermine his bid for
the White House.
"The Biden regime's weaponization of law enforcement against their
political opponents is something straight out of the Stalinist Russia
horror show," Trump said. "From the beginning it's been one witch hunt
and phony investigation after another."
Trump is being investigated by prosecutors in Manhattan for campaign
finance violations stemming his alleged payment of hush money to an
adult film actress ahead of the 2016 election. A special counsel
appointed by the Department of Justice is investigating allegations he
hoarded top-secret documents and masterminded a plot seeking to overturn
the 2020 election. A parallel effort by prosecutors in Georgia is also
examining his 2020 actions.
Trump held his rally in Waco as the city marked the 30th anniversary of
a raid by federal agents on the Branch Davidians religious sect there
that resulted in 86 deaths, including four law-enforcement officers.
Many right-wing extremists see the raid as a seminal moment of
government overreach, and critics saw the rally's timing as a nod to
Trump's far-right supporters.
A Trump campaign spokesperson said Waco was chosen for what the former
president billed as his first major rally of the 2024 presidential race
because it is situated between several major population centers and has
the infrastructure to host a large event.
Trump doesn't just face legal peril. His effort to lock in the
Republican nomination faces a potential challenge from DeSantis, the
governor of Florida, amid signs that his own support is softening, at
least in places like New Hampshire, an early primary battleground.
"I'm not a big fan," Trump said of DeSantis. "Florida has been
tremendously successful for many years, long before this guy became
governor."
The former president is seeking to turn the hush money case in New York
to his advantage by raising money off it and using it to rally
supporters. On Friday, he said the country faced potential "death &
destruction" if he was charged with a crime.
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Former U.S. President Donald Trump
arrives at his first campaign rally after announcing his candidacy
for president in the 2024 election at an event in Waco, Texas, U.S.,
March 25, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Trump's escalating rhetoric has repelled at least some within his
own party.
"Trump is walking on a high wire without a net, telegraphing that he
has nothing to lose and is willing to risk dangerous outcomes to
rally support," said Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist in
Washington.
LITTLE RESPONSE
Few supporters have heeded his calls to take to the streets to
protest his possible indictment in the Manhattan case and Trump did
not repeat any such call on Saturday.
Trump did speak of "demonic forces" trying to demolish the country,
which he said was at risk of falling into a "lawless abyss" unless
he is voted back into the White House. Trump depicted the United
States as a failed state whose economy was in freefall - a
description at odds with the country's record-low unemployment rate.
Trump also found time to nurse old grievances and return to the
extreme allegations and name-calling that were a hallmark of his
presidency.
Several times Trump repeated the false claim that his election loss
in 2020 was due to a systemic fraud orchestrated by the Democrats.
He described some American officials and senior U.S. politicians -
including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell - as a bigger
threat to America than China or Russia and claimed to be fighting
Marxists and Communists.
"Either the Deep State destroys America or we destroy the Deep
State," Trump said.
Speaking ahead of Trump's speech, Matt Schomburg, 45, said he
believed the rally was a way to energize his supporters for the 2024
race.
"We are so divided as a country and Trump did so many good things
for the economy, the border – we'd just love to have his leadership
again," said Schomburg, who works in insurance and is from Houston.
While some pundits had expressed concerns about possible violence,
the atmosphere was festive and there were no reports of trouble,
although some rallygoers struggled with the heat. Medics were called
in to assist one woman who passed out near the media pen.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne; Writing by Raphael Satter; Editing by
Ross Colvin, Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)
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