Texas: In the face of a potential indictment, a defiant Donald Trump intends to make a statement at his inaugural rally for his 2024 presidential campaign on Saturday in a city known for its deadly anti-law enforcement resistance.
Next month, on the 30th anniversary of the Waco massacre, the former president will gather with supporters at a Waco airport. A religious cult's compound was the target of a law enforcement raid attempt in 1993, which ended in a shootout, a 51-day siege, and a blaze that killed dozens of people.
In the lead-up to the rally, Trump has criticised prosecutors, urged protests, and warned of potential violence should he become the first former president in US history to be charged with a crime.
Also Read: UK athletes run the Palestine Marathon and raise thousands of dollars for charity
Some of his recent statements have echoed words he used before a mob of his supporters attempted to stop the transfer of power at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
What kind of person can accuse another person of a crime when it is clear to everyone that no crime has been committed and that the potential death and destruction caused by such a false charge could be disastrous for our nation?
In this case, the accuser is a former president of the United States who is also the front-runner (by a long shot!) for the Republican Party nomination. Early on Friday, Trump posted on his social media platform.
The Trump campaign insisted that the event's timing and location had nothing to do with the anniversary of the Waco siege. Instead, a spokesperson claimed that the location was selected due to its convenient proximity to four of the state's largest metropolises, including Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, as well as the availability of adequate infrastructure.
According to Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung, "This is the ideal location to have as many supporters from across the state and in neighbouring states attend this historic rally."
The county, McLennan, which Trump won by more than 23 points in 2020, includes the city. The distance between the Branch Davidian compound and the airport where the rally is being held is 17 miles.
Before it became apparent that a grand jury in New York was getting close to recommending an indictment as part of its investigation into hush money payments made to women who claimed to have had sexual encounters with Trump during the height of his 2016 campaign, the rally had already been planned. Trump has refuted the claims made by the women.
But as he campaigns for a second term in office, the timing will give Trump a chance to highlight his continued support from the GOP base and to paint himself as the target of a politically motivated "witch hunt."
On Monday in New York, the grand jury looking into the hush money payment is anticipated to convene once more.
Also Read: UN accuses Russian and Ukrainian forces of carrying out "summary executions" of detainees
Trump has been criticising the investigation for several weeks. He asserted last Saturday that he would be arrested the following Tuesday in a move that appeared to be an attempt to anticipate a formal announcement and energise his support group. Trump has tried to influence public opinion in the days since the incident, claiming, for example, that the Manhattan district attorney's office was in "total disarray" even though there was no evidence to support that claim.
His actions were reminiscent of a tactic the former president had previously employed, such as when special counsel Robert Mueller was looking into Russia.
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, has also been the target of a number of increasingly personal attacks from Trump, who has called him "a danger to our Country" and said he should be fired immediately.
On Thursday, he attempted to connect George Soros, a liberal billionaire donor who neither knows Bragg nor has made a direct donation to him, with Bragg, the first Black district attorney in Manhattan. Trump called Bragg "A SOROS BACKED ANIMAL" and added, "THIS IS NO LEGAL SYSTEM, THIS IS THE GESTAPO." He also shared a piece of writing that contrasted a picture of Bragg with a picture of Trump swinging a bat at Bragg.
Additionally, the previous president frequently used violence. He urged his followers to "PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!" on Saturday. And on Thursday he lamented, "AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL, OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED!"
In a mailroom at Bragg's offices on Friday, a powdery substance and a threatening letter were discovered, according to authorities. Later, authorities found that the substance wasn't harmful.
The rule of law in New York was threatened, and attempts to intimidate Bragg's office were not tolerated, the office stated in an internal email to its staff last Saturday. After the powder was found, Bragg sent a follow-up email to staff members assuring them that their safety came first.
He wrote on Friday, "We will continue to apply the law equally and fairly, as each of you does every single day. Before the threatening letter was delivered to Bragg's office, Democrats expressed concern that Trump's comments might incite violence.
The former president, who was twice impeached, uses reckless, repugnant, and irresponsible language. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier on Friday said, "It's dangerous, and if he keeps it up, he's going to kill someone.
Also Read: US and Canada close the border crossing loophole for asylum seekers
The Manhattan case centres on a $130,000 payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels by Trump's longtime fixer and attorney, Michael Cohen, while Trump was in the thick of his 2016 campaign.
Later, Trump paid Cohen back, and Cohen's business recorded the payments as a legal expense. After pleading guilty to charges related to campaign finance and lying to Congress, among other crimes, Cohen has already served time in prison.
Along with federal inquiries into his handling of classified documents, potential obstruction, as well as his actions on Jan. 6, Trump is also under investigation in Georgia for his efforts to overturn the outcomes of the 2020 election.
