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DONALD TRUMP REPRISED his election grievances and baseless claims of fraud as he returned to the rally stage yesterday for his first campaign-style event since leaving the White House.
“This was the scam of the century and this was the crime of the century,” the former president told a crowd of thousands at Ohio’s Lorain County Fairgrounds, near Cleveland, where he began fulfilling his pledge to exact revenge on those who voted for his historic second impeachment.
The event was held to support Max Miller, a former White House aide who is challenging Republican representative Anthony Gonzalez for his congressional seat.
Gonzalez was one of 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the deadly 6 January insurrection at the Capitol building. Trump has vowed to back those who run against them.
While he praised Miller as an “incredible patriot” and a “great guy” who “loves the people of Ohio”, Trump spent much of the rally fixating on the 2020 election. He still insists he won the poll, even though top state and local election officials, his own attorney general and numerous judges, including some he appointed, have said there is no evidence of the mass voter fraud he alleges took place.
Trump has been consumed with ongoing efforts to overturn the results in various states, and has even publicly entertained the idea that he could somehow be reinstated into office, even though no legal or constitutional basis for doing so exists.
“The 2020 presidential election was rigged,” he told the crowd, which at one point broke into a “Trump won!” chant.
“We won that election in a landslide.”
In reality, US President Joe Biden’s victory was thoroughly validated by the officials who reported finding no systemic fraud.
Yesterday’s focus on the election lies of 2020 began even before Trump arrived. The pre-show included a PowerPoint-style presentation by a man who claims an algorithm was used to manipulate the election results.
And Mike Lindell, the My Pillow founder-turned-conspiracy theorist who has spent millions trying to prove the election was stolen, was hailed as a hero by some in the crowd, who chanted his name and jockeyed for photos as he milled around.
When representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right Republican from Georgia known for her incendiary rhetoric, asked the crowd who their president was, they boomed loudly, “Trump!”.
“President Trump is my president, too,” she said.
The event had many of the trappings of the rallies Trump held as a candidate and as president.
There was the eclectic playlist, the same stage design, and many familiar volunteers. Trump even reprised his performance of The Snake, a song he has used as an allegory for illegal immigration. The crowd also chanted “Lock her up” at the mention of Hillary Clinton, the Democrat he defeated in 2016.
But gone was the grand entrance using Air Force Once as a backdrop, and the pomp that surrounds any sitting president.
Still, traffic through the afternoon was backed up from the fairgrounds, where pro-Trump signs dotted residents’ lawns. On street corners, vendors sold “Trump 2024” flags and other merchandise as supporters arrived.
The rally, held five months after Trump left office under a cloud of violence, marks the beginning of a new, more public phase of his post-presidency.
After spending much of his time behind closed doors building a political operation and fuming about the last election, Trump is planning a flurry of public appearances in the coming weeks. He’ll hold another rally in Florida over the July Fourth weekend unattached to a mid-term candidate and will travel to the southern border in the coming week to protest Biden’s immigration policies.
The rally came as Trump, who has continued to tease the possibility that he will mount a comeback run for the White House in 2024, faces immediate legal jeopardy.
Manhattan prosecutors informed his company on Thursday it could soon face criminal charges stemming from a wide-ranging investigation into the former president’s business dealings.
Although Trump remains a deeply polarising figure, he is extremely popular with the Republican base, and candidates have flocked to his homes in Florida and New Jersey seeking his endorsement as he has tried to position himself as his party’s kingmaker.
Trump has said he is committed to helping Republicans regain control of Congress in next year’s mid-term elections. But his efforts to support — and recruit — candidates to challenge incumbent Republicans who have crossed him put him at odds with other Republican leaders who have been trying to unify the party after a brutal year in which they lost control of the White House and failed to gain control of either chamber of Congress.
So far, nine of the 10 House Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment have drawn primary challengers. And Trump has offered to support anyone who steps forward to challenge the remaining candidate, representative John Katko of New York, according to a report on syracuse.com.
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These friendlies mean nothing.
@Sun Rise: no such thing as a friendly in rugby.. and far as I know these test matches affect world rankings which obviously had a knock on effect..
@Stiles: yes they do, but unfortunately our ranking has justified some performances. Next week will be interesting though.
I was only glancing at today’s game but that lad Prendergast had an excellent day.
@Paul O’Mahoney: * hasn’t
@Paul O’Mahoney:
Pendergast good but not excellent .
@Sun Rise: Not this nonsense again. zzzzzzzz.
@Sun Rise: shows how little you know ! They mean a lot for the next W.C
@Sun Rise: jog on, soccer boy!
@Jb Walshe: ironically our worst performance in the last 4 world cups was when we achieved a top 4 seeding for the pool draw.
@Sun Rise: obviously not a rugby fan – if you were you’d know that’s tihsllub. Every game is important!!! Whether these particular games affect this ranking or that pool is irrelevant it’s all about a bigger picture…
@Jb Walshe: only rugby fans would understand how correct you are. Tro. lls only look for thumbs up
@brian o’leary: that’s certainly true Brian and we had a bit of bad luck thrown in the mix also,between the draw,some decisions we made,and lacking manpower on the bench. That’s the way it goes I suppose but we live in hope and we will keep supporting our team
@Jb Walshe: yes keep plugging away, plan A now is to achieve a top 6 seeding, hope the seedings work this time, get a little luck with the draw, and most importantly, avoid SA and NZ until after the Quarters, if we get that far.
@Sun Rise: mean nothing to you.
@Lulu: As ai said I was only glancing but I’m happy with my view…..as his dynamic was different, yes a few errors and I’m saying this as a Munster supporter.
@Stiles: when it matters in world cups when it reay matter ireland bottle, all the talk ireland no 1 team ranking, nobody cares
@Sun Rise: 1st time?
@Thomas Meaney: rugby is shite
@Paul O’Mahoney: yes Predergast I think is our best 10…. some bad decisions though…. should maybe have passed a little more than some of the kicks…. but I think he will only keep improving… good win today.
@Sun Rise: Cool story
@Lulu: that complement coming from a munster head, he must have played excellent!!!
Can all the Crowley cult members please sit down now and stop screeching. Prendergast is the man for the 10 jersey and it’s tough luck to you. Crowley had his chance against New Zealand and Argentina and he didn’t cut it. He lost focus after 50 minutes and started kicking and passing aimlessly. We got actually got a performance from our 10 today where he stayed in the match for the full duration and worked his magic. Prendergast was exceptional both in his decision making and in his general vision and the players all looked so much better playing off a level-headed and confident fly-half. Crowley was nothing more than a placeholder for the shirt while a proper heir was developed post Sexton and it’s time for him to put back on the bench where he belongs.
@Frank O’Hara: jaysus Frank, I haven’t seen a player this hyped since Jordan Larmor? I thought he did very well, apart from kicking the ball dead… twice, getting a yellow that was lucky not be red, and getting caught in possession. Bolter for the lions tour maybe?
@Frank O’Hara:
Hahaha …. Good man Frank O’Haha !
@Frank O’Hara: muppet
@Frank O’Hara: put down the creamy pints and take a breath…
@brian o’leary: How did he “caught in possession?” His passing was on the money every time and the speed of his distribution which enabled the ball to get out to the wings was nothing short of phenomenal. The yellow card was a joke. Turning your back and lightly bumping into someone isn’t even a penalty, although the referee had a shocker in terms of being biased against Ireland from the get-go so I wasn’t surprised that she gave him a card. It’s a sign that rugby has gone too soft. In any case, look at how Ireland performed as a team. Prendergast had them absolutely humming. Everything was sticking and all the backline moves were coming off. Crowley offered none of that. I wouldn’t say he’s a Lions bolter just yet. My money is on Finn Russell, Owen Farrell and Fin Smith taking the slots.
@Stiles: Take off your red-tinted glasses and take a breath.
@Frank O’Hara: he was caught at one stage passing to the left, when a try was on, took too long and was tackled, possession turned over?re yellow, contact with the head, upright, no attempt to rap and make a legal tackle, clear sight and no late change of direction or height? Made freddy Stewart look like gerry conlon?
I like Sam BTW, how could you not, but let’s remain clam here .
@Frank O’Hara: jayzus it was Fiji , his granny would have done ok against Fiji ffs
@Frank O’Hara: Very easy to look good at 10 against that opposition. You need to calm down a bit.
@brian o’leary: Come on mate, that yellow card was a terrible decision and you know it. Prendergast turned his back on the Fijian player to see where the ball went from the grubber through and gently bumped against him. The Fijian player then engaged in a series of dramatics like a footballer and Holly Davidson bought it because she doesn’t seem to have a clue about the rules. It wasn’t even a penalty. Do you not agree though from a purely objective observation, the Irish attack was humming in a more sleek and cohesive manner? Do you not think that we actually got a full 80 minute performance off the Irish attack for the first time since the France match in the Six Nations earlier this year?
@Frank O’Hara: I know the rules, contact with the head, upright, no attempt to make a legal tackle, no late change of direction or lowering of height by the tackled player?
It was a good performance, yes, but against a tear 2 nation, I’m going to remain clam
@brian o’leary: clam yes, you’re being very clam.
@Frank O’Hara: that is the most extraordinarily green-tinted description of Prendergast’s card. He turn e to see where the ball was going? He very clearly stepped across to make contact with the Fijian player. It was a stupid gesture, a deliberate piece of foul play. Not dangerous enough to be a red, but a definite yellow
@Frank O’Hara: Calm down there a bit. They are both very good players with more to learn
@Frank O’Hara: He was lucky to see the game out really. Has a while to go yet, Crowley still ahead of the pack for now, rugby is a slower burn than football (assuming thats your prefer sport). Always love the naive ‘general public’ take we get from the one article on the Journal. Never see you on the 42 Frank? Be time fan eh?
Some really good stuff but also some really dreadful stuff!
Max 16 countries in the world play top class rugby, build ireland up the easier they fall, bottlers of world cups
@burrito girl: I’d say if there was a world cup for knitting, you’d win in hands down girly…
@burrito girl: that’s better than football then. Max 7 countries play top class stuff, the rest are just there to pretend it’s a contest.
@burrito girl: stick to the gaa
Ref gifted one
Ah, the once mighty Fifi have fallen! Yawn…
Micky mouse game, make the rules up as the go along. Only 10 rugby clubs in Fiji
sublime reasoning shown by true fans here, lol
I turned this rubbish off after 20 mins
have your say