Donald Trump has used his first election rally in Waco, Texas, to rail against the prosecutors investigating him, firing up his base ahead of next year’s Republican primary elections.
Trump told supporters gathered at Waco’s airport the investigations swirling around him were “something straight out of the Stalinist Russia horror show”.
“From the beginning it’s been one witch hunt and phoney investigation after another,” he said on Saturday.
The legal threats hanging over the former president were front of mind for some attendees, many of whom flashed signs saying “WITCH HUNT”.
Trump is being investigated by prosecutors in Manhattan for campaign finance violations stemming from his alleged payment of hush money to adult film actor Stormy Daniels 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.
Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s most vocal supporters in Congress, told the crowd it was time to “take back” the Department of Justice.
“You have to understand: they are not just coming after President Trump, they are coming after you, and President Trump is just the only one standing in their way,” she said.
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 issued an apocalyptic warning, saying the country faced potential “death & destruction” if he was charged with a crime.
Saturday’s rally is happening in Waco as the city marks the 30th anniversary of a raid by federal agents on the Branch Davidians religious sect there that resulted in 86 deaths, including those of four law-enforcement officers.
The city of Waco said it was expecting 15,000 people to attend the rally.
In addition to prosecutors, Trump is likely to target Ron DeSantis for criticism. The Florida governor has yet to declare his candidacy for the Republican nomination but has drawn Trump’s ire nonetheless.
Matt Schomburg, 45, said he believed the rally was important to energise Trump 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.
Schomburg said he thought Trump was trying to send a message by holding the rally in Waco.
“I think the message is, hey we are not going to be handcuffed by the people that are pulling the strings behind the curtain. We want transparency. We don’t want big government anymore.”
