Calling the event “the very first rally of the 2022 election,” Trump predicted next year’s elections would result in “giant Republican majorities” in both chambers of Congress.
“We’re going to take back the House, and we’re going to take back the Senate,” he promised the crowd at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington, about a half-hour southwest of Cleveland. “We have no choice,” he added.
Political analysts say the events are designed to provide Trump with a platform to reconnect with himself as Republican leader and to promote his conspiracy theories about last November’s election. Provided – and just as important to Trump and Anna on his injury – to fix the old score.
“This is just the kickoff of the Donald Trump grievance tour,” said David Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron.
Trump, however, insisted, “I’m trying to save American democracy.”‘
Banned from Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms that he used to communicate with his supporters, Trump reveled in the enthusiasm of the boisterous crowd, which was estimated to be in the thousands.
In tone and style, the event was reminiscent of the rallies Trump held across the country during his two campaigns for the White House. He stepped onto the stage as a loudspeaker blared Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” – a favorite on his playlist during last year’s campaign – and tossed red “Make America Great Again” hats into the crowd.
In his 91-minute remarks, Trump lashed out at Democratic foes like Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, ridiculed the “fake news” media and leveled unfounded accusations about his loss to Joe Biden in last November’s presidential election. Trump said he was “ashamed” of the U.S. Supreme Court for failing to back his unsupported claims of election fraud.
Though he made no announcement about his own plans, Trump hinted that he might make another run for the White House in 2024. Claiming falsely that he has already won the presidency twice, he proclaimed, “it’s possible we’ll have to win it a third time.”
Supporters began arriving at the Lorain County Fairgrounds early Saturday afternoon, donning American flags and selling T-shirts that said, “Trump won.” A cover band blared through the grounds as people lined up at food trucks and sipped water to stave off the heat.
Trump used his remarks not only to attack Democrats, he also took aim at members of his own party, including Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a northeastern Ohio congressman who was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him for inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol that left five people dead.
Trump’s Ohio rally came just four days before he is scheduled to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on June 30 with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
As he has done in the past, Trump repeatedly attack Biden’s border policies during his remarks, arguing that his successor had “deliberately and systematically” dismantled border security and allowed a flood of illegal immigrants into the country. He claimed Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday “for one simple reason: Because I announced I was going.”
Though he’s no longer in office and is not a candidate for public office – at least not officially – Trump’s rally was part of an overall strategy to keep him in the public eye, Cohen said.
“He’s not going away,” he said. “He’s not leaving the political stage.” Trump’s rally showed he has no intentions of quitting politics anytime soon. “Our movement is far from over,” he said. “In fact, our fight has only just begun.”
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