Trump news – live: Trump claims DA has dropped indictment as his own lawyer criticises his Truth Social posts

Donald Trump has suggested that Manhattan’s district attorney has already dropped the Stormy Daniels hush money case, days after he set off a frenzied news cycle by claiming he would be arrested over the matter.

Speaking to reporters on his plane following a campaign speech in Waco, Texas, he said: “I think they’ve already dropped the case.

“It’s a fake case. Some fake cases, they have absolutely nothing.”

The Manhattan grand jury probing the former president is expected to reconvene in the coming week following several delays, with New York County’s District Attorney Alvin Bragg calling off grand jury hearings on 22 and 23 March.

It comes as Mr Trump’s personal lawyer criticised his client’s online attacks against the DA, including a post with a baseball bat next to Mr Bragg.

“I’m not his social media consultant. I think that was an ill-advised post that one of his social media people put up and he quickly took down,” Joe Tacopina told NBC News.

And his former ally, the president of Israel, is also weighing in and offering strong criticism for Mr Trump’s courtship of Kanye West and Nick Fuentes.

Key Points

• Trump suggests Manhattan DA ‘dropped’ Stormy case

• Trump denies having affair with Stormy Daniels repeating insulting nickname at Waco rally

• In Waco, Trump avoids mentioning standoff but praises insurrectionists and calls for war on deep state

• Trump ramps up DeSantis attack at Waco rally saying he wept when he begged for endorsement

• One-time ally Netanyahu criticises Trump over Nick Fuentes meeting

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

21:53 , John Bowden

Former President Donald Trump has been out of office for two years, and is already itching to go back.

But one figure from his first run for president has refused to go away, and may end up being a major headache for him as he pursues a third White House bid.

We’re talking, of course, about adult film star Stormy Daniels, also known by her real name, Stephanie Clifford. Ms Daniels made headlines in 2018 when she came forward with an allegation that she had been in a romantic extramarital relationship with the president in 2006, and had been threatened and later bribed to keep her mouth shut.

At the time, the basis of her claim took on an interesting angle thanks to a lawsuit she filed against then-President Donald Trump. Alleging that the hush agreement was invalid because Mr Trump had not signed it, she sued him and triggered what would become a years-long investigation into whether the scheme was legal at all points.

Read more:

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

FBI fully prepared after Trump’s ‘death and destruction’ post, lawmaker says

21:30 , John Bowden

US senator Mark Warner said on Sunday he was briefed by the FBI on Donald Trump‘s rhetoric after the former president verbally lashed out at a New York prosecutor overseeing a grand jury investigation into alleged hush-money payments.

“I have been briefed by the FBI. They say they are fully prepared,” Warner, a Democrat and the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN on Sunday. “They have seen no specific threats but the level of rhetoric on some of these right-wing sites has increased.”

Mr Trump has ramped up his rhetoric against New York prosecutors who are leading investigations into the alleged payment of hush-money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

On Friday Mr Trump warned in a Truth Social post of “potential death and destruction” if he is charged in the case.

He also shared a composite picture showing him wielding a baseball bat next to the head of Mr Bragg, a post widely seen as a dangerous call to violence against a prosecutor. The post was later deleted.

Trump warns of ‘potential death and destruction’ if indicted in hush money probe

Trump’s own lawyer calls violent Truth Social post attacking Alvin Bragg ‘ill advised’

21:00 , John Bowden

Trump’s own lawyer calls violent Truth Social post attacking Alvin Bragg ‘ill advised’

Donald Trump’s personal lawyer refused to defend his client’s social media post attacking New York County district attorney Alvin Bragg who is overseeing proceedings on the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

Joe Tacopina condemned Mr Trump’s Truth Social post in which the former president was seen wielding a baseball bat next to a photo of Mr Bragg’s head.

Mr Tacopina was asked by NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press on Sunday if he would “advise a client to personally attack a prosecutor like this”.

Read more:

Trump’s own lawyer calls Truth Social post attacking Alvin Bragg ‘ill advised’

Stormy Daniels destroys critic with three word response after being attacked for sex with married Trump

20:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Porn actor Stormy Daniels hit back at critics on Twitter amid the ongoing investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office into the hush money payment she received from former President Donald Trump’s then-fixer Michael Cohen in 2016.

Ms Daniels alleges that she had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006. She was paid off to keep quiet about the supposed extramarital activity.

Mr Trump insulted Ms Daniels during his Saturday rally in Waco, Texas, rejecting all allegations of an affair.

“Sex with Stormy Daniels is traumatic enough. Hasn’t President Trump been punished enough?” one Twitter user said.

“I think he needs another spanking,” Ms Daniels responded.

Read more:

Stormy Daniels destroys critic after she’s attacked for sex with married Trump

Trouble sleeping? Trump posts on Truth Social at 3am as grand jury could meet today

20:00 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump made a series of Truth Social posts in the early hours of Monday morning – hours before the grand jury investigating the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels is poised to next meet in Manhattan.

In a sign the former president could be losing sleep over his potential looming criminal indictment, he was furiously sharing posts until 3.30am ET complaining about everything from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s probe to mail-in ballots and his political rival Ron DeSantis.

In one post, Mr Trump accused the Biden administration of being involved in the investigation into the payments to adult film star Ms Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election.

“Remember, the DOJ is running the local Manhattan D.A.’s prosecution, they just don’t want their “fingerprints” on it. They placed a TOP person in the Office!” he claimed.

In another, he repeated his derogatory nickname for Ms Daniels – and also managed to spell her name wrong.

Read more:

Trump posts on Truth Social at 3am as grand jury could meet today

One-time ally Netanyahu criticises Trump over Nick Fuentes meeting

19:30 , John Bowden

Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu, once considered to be a political ally of Donald Trump’s, has come out swinging against the former US president in a new interview that touched on Mr Trump’s meeting with disgraced rapper Kanye West and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

The comments were made during an interview with journalist Piers Morgan, due to air in the coming days on the streaming service Fox Nation. Excerpts were released on Monday by Fox News.

Speaking with Morgan, Mr Netanyahu said that Mr Trump “should be rebuked and condemned” for his meeting with Fuentes, who regularly rants about the Jewish people and is known for his denial of the Holocaust.

Read more:

One-time ally Netanyahu criticises Trump over Nick Fuentes meeting

In Trump probe, Manhattan grand jury is back at work

19:00 , Gustaf.Kilander

The Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump over hush money payments returned on Monday to hear more evidence, with still no word on when it might be asked to vote on a possible indictment.

It was the first time the panel was hearing testimony in the Trump probe since last Monday, when a witness favorable to the ex-president appeared before the grand jury. The jurors did not meet at all on Wednesday, one of the days when they ordinarily convene, and heard other matters on Thursday.

The grand jury is now back on Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss secretive proceedings. It was not immediately clear whether an additional witness might be called before the panel.

Trump raised anticipation that criminal charges were imminent with a March 18 post on his social media platform in which he said he expected to be arrested last Tuesday. He has since used the absence of an indictment to claim, furnishing no evidence, that the investigation is somehow faltering.

Read more:

In Trump probe, Manhattan grand jury is back at work

Majority of Americans think Trump investigations are fair

18:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Most Americans think the investigations into former President Donald Trump are fair, according to a new poll.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll includes responses from 1,300 adults and shows that around 60 per cent of Americans don’t want him to be president again.

A majority of Americans disagree with Mr Trump as 56 per cent say that the investigations are fair and not a “witch hunt” – 41 per cent take the opposing view, according to NPR.

There’s a massive partisan divide – about 90 per cent of Democrats think the probs are fair, while 80 per cent of Republicans think they’re a witch hunt.

Among independents, 51 per cent think they’re fair, while 47 per cent do not.

Trump claims Manhattan DA ‘already dropped’ case after falsely predicting his imminent arrest

18:00 , Alex Woodward

Following his campaign rally in Waco, Texas, Donald Trump said he believes prosecutors in New York City have “already dropped” a case against him, one week after his false prediction of his imminent arrest generated a media firestorm, a rush of Republican support and a surge in donations to his campaign.

Speaking to reporters on 25 March, the former president said he thinks the office of New York County district attorney Alvin Bragg is no longer investigating Mr Trump’s alleged hush money payment to an adult film star in the runup to the 2016 presidential election.

“I think they’ve already dropped the case,” he said, according to Axios. “It’s a fake case. Some fake cases, they have absolutely nothing.”

A New York grand jury continues to hear witnesses and evidence in that case. Mr Trump and his aides have blamed “leaks” and “rumours” for his claims, though the former president appeared to be the only source for publicly announcing them, and his team has clarified that he did not receive any indications from prosecutors that would be imminently charged.

Read more:

Trump claims Manhattan DA ‘already dropped’ case after falsely predicting arrest

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

17:30 , John Bowden

Former President Donald Trump has been out of office for two years, and is already itching to go back.

But one figure from his first run for president has refused to go away, and may end up being a major headache for him as he pursues a third White House bid.

We’re talking, of course, about adult film star Stormy Daniels, also known by her real name, Stephanie Clifford. Ms Daniels made headlines in 2018 when she came forward with an allegation that she had been in a romantic extramarital relationship with the president in 2006, and had been threatened and later bribed to keep her mouth shut.

At the time, the basis of her claim took on an interesting angle thanks to a lawsuit she filed against then-President Donald Trump. Alleging that the hush agreement was invalid because Mr Trump had not signed it, she sued him and triggered what would become a years-long investigation into whether the scheme was legal at all points.

Read more:

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

Mike Huckabee endorses ‘cringe-worthy’ and ‘incredibly funny’ Trump for president

17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Former Arkansas Governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has endorsed former President Donald Trump for president in 2024.

“Donald Trump was my second choice for President in 2016. My first choice was ME!” he wrote on his website on Monday. “When I didn’t make it, I endorsed, supported, and campaigned for Donald Trump.”

Mr Huckabee said Mr Trump “exceeded my expectations” but that he had “surprised most of my friends and some of my enemies in supporting Trump”.

“He often said things that were cringe-worthy, and some of the labels he affixed to political opponents and the media were harsh, if not accurate and incredibly funny,” the ex-governor wrote.

“When people asked how I could support him I said it was like choosing a doctor to do surgery on a member of my family,” he said adding that he would prefer the surgeon with a “questionable personality” but with better “surgical skills”.

“No President helped the country get steered away from the insanity of socialist economics and insane policies on energy, the military, and the proper role of the courts as did Donald Trump,” Mr Huckabee claimed.

Echoing Mr Trump’s own rhetoric, Mr Huckabee asked, “who else could take and endure the relentless hate he faced and the never-ending persecutions and prosecutions of the demonic deep state?”

Alex Jones peddles Trump assassination conspiracy as MAGA ramps up violent indictment rhetoric

16:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Alex Jones, the InfoWars broadcaster and conspiracy theorist, said he believes that former President Donald Trump may be assassinated by the so-called deep state.

Mr Jones, who lost a defamation lawsuit after spreading disinformation about the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, has said that if it appears as if Mr Trump may win the 2024 election, deep state operatives may take him out by blowing up his plane or shooting him.

The host was speaking on Sunday after Mr Trump had held his first 2024 rally on Saturday in Waco, Texas on the 30th anniversary of the deadly standoff by federal authorities and a religious cult leading to the deaths of 86 people, and spawning conspiracy theorists among Americans with anti-government sentiments.

It was one of the most lethal battles against law enforcement in US history, and Mr Trump spent a significant part of his speech railing against those investigating him for various alleged offences.

Read more:

Alex Jones peddles Trump assassination conspiracy as MAGA ramps up violent rhetoric

Has Trump been arrested? The former president’s moving indictment timeline

16:00 , Josh Marcus

Workers began erecting barricades around the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse last week, bracing for a potential, unprecedented moment: Donald Trump arriving to face charges in a hush money probe, making him the first president in US history to face criminal charges.

In an all-caps warning on his Truth Social account on 18 March, the former president predicted his own arrest and called on his supporters to protest what he called the “corrupt and highly political Manhattan district attorney’s office.”

A Trump spokesperson later clarified the former president’s team has been given “no notification” of an impending arrest or indictment beside “illegal leaks,” though Mr Trump was the only person to have announced his imminent arrest, which he said would take place on 21 March.

A grand jury in New York City has met on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays since January to consider evidence involving the former president’s role involving a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels that prosecutors at the New York County district attorney’s office reportedly allege was an illegal campaign expenditure.

Read more:

Did Trump get arrested today? The moving indictment timeline

Grand jury expected to hear Trump case today

15:37 , Gustaf Kilander

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg arrived at the office at about 8am this morning. The grand jury is expected to hear the Trump case today, according to NBC and ABC.

Another witness is also expected to appear.

Trump says mail in ballots used to ‘cheat’ – days after urging supporters to ‘change our thinking’ on voting method

15:30 , Eric Garcia

Former president Donald Trump returned to his old position that mail-in ballots are used to “cheat” after he had previously told his supporters that they needed to “change our thinking” about the voting practice.

The former president criticised the use of mail-in ballots on his networking platform Truth Social.

“The Democrats used Covid inspired Mail In Ballots to CHEAT,” he said. “Even Jimmy Carter’s Commission said that Mail In Ballots will lead to massive cheating, which they they have. France, and others, gave up on them — MASSIVE FRAUD. Now they are using PROSECUTORS to CHEAT — No shame. They are the lowest of the low!”

The former president repeatedly criticised mail-in votig throughout the 2020 presidential election, despite the fact he voted by mail himself. Republicans have historically preferred using mail-in ballots, but Mr Trump’s critiques have led to many more Republicans opposing the practice.

Read more:

Trump gives contradictory statements on mail-in ballots days apart

Trump attorney says Ron DeSantis will be left a ‘bloodied pulp’ if he takes on former president

15:00 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump’s attorney has said that Ron DeSantis will be left a “bloodied pulp” if he takes on the former president in the 2024 White House race – in what marks the latest violent rhetoric to come from Mr Trump’s camp.

Christina Bobb, Mr Trump’s lawyer and a contributor to the pro-Trump Right Side Broadcasting Network, gave the fighting talk at the former president’s campaign rally in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.

“I would not want to enter the octagon with Donald Trump. Nobody comes out of that and looks pretty,” she said, according to The Daily Beast.

“In order for Ron DeSantis to mildly stand a chance with Donald Trump… he has to attack Donald Trump, and people who attack Donald Trump don’t fare well.

“If he actually does try to enter this race, [he] will come out a bloodied pulp.”

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

Trump attorney says DeSantis will be left a ‘bloodied pulp’ if he takes him on

Trump compares investigations into him to 'Stalinist Russia'

14:30 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump used his first election rally in Waco, Texas, to rail against the prosecutors investigating him, employing dark and conspiratorial language to fire up his base ahead of next year’s Republican primary elections.

Mr Trump told supporters gathered at Waco’s airport on Saturday that 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.

The legal threats hanging over the former president were front of mind for some attendees, many of whom flashed signs saying “WITCH HUNT.”

He rallied against Florida governor Ron DeSantis and said “I’m not a big fan” of him and him of plotting to slash social security.

Trump fans want DeSantis to step aside to allow former president another White House run

14:00 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump’s kickoff campaign rally in Waco on Saturday featured a gaggle of GOP loyalists from MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylore Greene.

But one Republican who wasn’t a hot favorite at the sprawling event in the Texas sun? Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida - the former president’s most likely rival in the 2024 Republican primaries.

Many in the crowd told The Independent that Mr Trump still had their support for the top job.

“He’s the only one,” rallygoer David Lee said while dressed in a royal costume he said was in honour of “King Trump.”

Others in Waco were more supportive of Mr DeSantis but said he should wait his turn before taking on Mr Trump.

Read more:

Trump fans want DeSantis to step aside to allow him another White House run

‘He’s playing with fire’: Trump’s history of courting violence collides with Waco campaign rally

13:30 , Josh Marcus

As he enters his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump faces a looming potential indictment in New York, another set of potential charges in Georgia, and other possible criminal charges from a federal special counsel investigation. Meanwhile, a former GOP ally continues to pose a significant threat to his Republican presidential primary election in 2024.

The former president has demanded that his supporters protest and “TAKE OUR NATION BACK!” from what he calls the “CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL” Manhattan district attorney investigation, but so far only a handful of demonstrators have rallied to his defence at small events in Florida and New York.

Mr Trump, cornered by several investigations and predicting his own arrest in at least one of them, held his first 2024 presidential campaign rally in the city of Waco, Texas – in the middle of the 30th anniversary of the deadly 51-day siege that galvanised the far right and set the stage for the modern militia movement.

Following the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021, extremism researchers have traced predictions from the former president and his supporters of violence and dysfunction, with ideological echoes of the infamous 1993 federal law enforcement standoff near the same Texas town where Mr Trump has steered his campaign.

“Given what happened on January 6, he’s playing with fire,” professor Matthew Dallek, a political historian of the right and homeland security issues at George Washington University, told The Independent.

Read more:

‘Playing with fire’: Trump’s history of courting violence collides with Waco rally

Trump rails against ‘demonic forces’ and pitches 2024 race as ‘the final battle’ at Waco rally

13:00 , Josh Marcus, Richard Hall

Donald Trump railed against “demonic forces” and pitched the 2024 presidential race as “the final battle” at the first rally of his third campaign for the White House in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.

Mr Trump opened the rally by playing a song recorded by a choir of men imprisoned for their involvement in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He then launched into a speech that echoed the same incendiary language he used in the run-up to that day.

“If we don’t win this election in 2024, I truly believe our country is doomed,” he said, hitting out at “demonic forces” who are “destroying the country.”

“Either the Deep State destroys America or we destroy the Deep State,” the former president said.

Read more:

Trump rails against ‘demonic forces’ and calls 2024 ‘the final battle’ at Waco rally

Trouble sleeping? Trump posts on Truth Social at 3am as grand jury could meet today

12:48 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump made a series of Truth Social posts in the early hours of Monday morning – hours before the grand jury investigating the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels is poised to next appear in Manhattan.

In a sign the former president could be losing sleep over his potential looming criminal indictment, he was furiously sharing posts until 3.30am ET complaining about everything from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s probe to mail-in ballots and his political rival Ron DeSantis.

Read the full story:

Trump posts on Truth Social at 3am as grand jury could meet today

Trump starts Waco rally with song featuring him and January 6 choir

12:30 , Eric Garcia

Former president Donald Trump opened his rally in Waco, Texas by playing a song he collaborated on with a group of inmates who are in prison for their actions in the January 6 riot.

The group of defendants have billed themselves as J6 Choir and they sing a version of “The Star Spangled Banner” with Mr Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegience entitled “Justice for All.” The former president has pledged that if he is re-elected, he will give pardons to defendants.

Mr Trump is holding his first major campaign event since announcing his 2024 campaign in Waco, Texas – a week after he said he expected to be indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The song earned notoriety when it became the number one song on iTunes. The song is being used to raise money for the defendants through an LLC run by conservative activist Ed Henry.

Read more:

Trump starts Waco rally with song featuring him and January 6 choir

Trump denies having affair with Stormy Daniels repeating insulting nickname at Waco rally

12:00 , Eric Garcia

Former president Donald Trump vehemently denied that he had an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels as he faces a potential indictment for paying money to keep their affair quiet.

The former president decried New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg for investigating the payment and criticised the US Department of Justice.

“The district attorney of New York under the auspices and direction of the Department of Injustice in Washington, DC, was investigating me for something that is not a crime, not a misdemeanor, not an affair,” he said.

Mr Trump held his first major campaign rally in Waco, Texas, where he proceeded to insult Ms Daniels with an epithet he has used in the past.

Read more:

Trump denies affair with Stormy Daniels repeating insulting nickname at Waco rally

Trump’s own lawyer calls violent Truth Social post attacking Alvin Bragg ‘ill advised’

11:30 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump’s personal lawyer refused to defend his client’s social media post attacking New York County district attorney Alvin Bragg who is overseeing proceedings on the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

Joe Tacopina condemned Mr Trump’s Truth Social post in which the former president was seen wielding a baseball bat next to a photo of Mr Bragg’s head.

Mr Tacopina was asked by NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press on Sunday if he would “advise a client to personally attack a prosecutor like this”.

Trump’s own lawyer calls Truth Social post attacking Alvin Bragg ‘ill advised’

In Waco, Trump avoids mentioning standoff but praises insurrectionists and calls for war on deep state

11:00 , Josh Marcus

When Donald Trump announced he was heading to Waco, Texas, on Saturday to kick off his 2024 campaign, many feared that the former president’s presence in the city, made infamous in 1993 for a deadly 51-day standoff between armed cult members and federal agents, would be interpreted as a new call to militia-style violence.

“Given what happened on January 6, he’s playing with fire,” professor Matthew Dallek, a political historian of the right and homeland security issues at George Washington University, told The Independent ahead of the event.

When Trump Force One actually touched down in Waco, to a fired-up crowd that had been waiting in the scorching son all day on an airport tarmac to see him, the former president avoided mentioning the standoff itself, but offered scattered warnings of sinister forces, World War III, and an apocalyptic “final battle” that wouldn’t be out of place in a cult hall.

Read more:

In Waco, Trump avoids mentioning siege but invokes apocalyptic WWIII

DeSantis team welcomes contrast with Trump 'chaos' candidacy

10:30 , Shweta Sharma

Jim McKee is standing at the end of a line that snakes through five aisles of fiction inside the Books-A-Million store in Florida’s capital city.

He is smiling because, in a matter of minutes, the book he’s holding will be signed by its author, Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor who Mr McKee believes should be the nation’s next president.

But as a former Donald Trump loyalist, the 44-year-old Tallahassee attorney almost whispers when he first says it out loud.

“Personally, I’d rather see DeSantis win the Republican primary than Trump,” Mr McKee says softly, having to repeat himself to be heard. His voice soon grows louder.

DeSantis team welcomes contrast with Trump 'chaos' candidacy

VIDEO: Trump campaign rally opens with January 6 choir in Waco

10:00 , The Independent

New York ‘prepared’ for any fallout over Trump indictment, says mayor

09:30 , Shweta Sharma

Eric Adam, the mayor of New York City, said the city was prepared for any fallout from a potential indictment of Donald Trump in the Stormy Daniels case.

“We are always ready,” he told PIX11.

“The NYPD does an amazing job of just really dealing with any type of incident that takes place in the city and there’s a lot of speculation.”

He said Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg is going to make the final determination this week.

“We have not heard yay or nay, we’re just going to be ready no matter what happens,” he added.

Trump ramps up DeSantis attack at Waco rally saying he wept when he begged for endorsement

09:00 , Eric Garcia

Former president Donald Trump ramped up his criticisms of his potential 2024 challenger Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during his rally in Waco, Texas on Saturday.

Mr Trump used the epithet he has coined for the governor, calling him Ron “DeSanctimonious”. Mr Trump said that in 2018, Mr DeSantis begged the then-president to endorse him in the Republican primary for governor in Florida.

“But I’m a loyalist and and when a man comes to me tears in his eyes, he’s had almost nothing in the polls,” he told rallygoers. Mr Trump noted how at the time, Mr DeSantis registered much lower in the polls than then-agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam, who also had a significant money advantage.

“He’s at almost nothing, He’s got no cash,” Mr Trump said. “And I said, I can’t give you an endorsement. There’s no way you can when you’re dead.”

Read more:

Trump ramps up DeSantis attack in Waco, saying he wept and begged for endorsement

Protests break out in NYC but not for Trump - for ‘The Joker’

08:30 , Shweta Sharma

A crowd of protesters gathered outside a courthouse in New York City, chanting for freedom for their embattled hero. Police remained alert as passions flared and voices roared while squad cars and TV crews encircles the commotion

In what looked similar to a scene New York City authorities have been bracing for as prosecutors consider an indictment against former president Donald Trump, it was just a movie shoot — for the “Joker” sequel to be precise.

The protest roars faded and the crowd dispersed as the director yelled “cut”.

The New York City shoot for the upcoming “Joker” sequel had been planned for months; but in recent days, production crews wrestled with the possibility that filming could be disrupted by real-life protests over the Mr Trump case — none of which have so far materialised.

In real life, Mr Trump has indeed inspired protests, albeit muted ones. In recent weeks, the former president has called on his supporters to protest what he said was an impending indictment accusing him of paying $130,000 to buy the silence of porn actor Stormy Daniels.

Trump attacks transgender rights at Waco rally saying he will ban ‘disfigurement of our youth’

08:00 , Joe Middleton

Former US president Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on “transgender insanity” and pledged to “revoke every Biden policy promoting the disfigurement of our youth”.

At the first rally of his 2024 presidential campaign on Saturday in Waco, Texas, Trump doubled down on a vow he made last month to revoke his successor’s policies on gender-affirming care for transgender children.

Trump said that he would “keep men out of women’s sports” if re-elected president, after he last year misgendered transgender athlete Lia Thomas.

Read more:

Trump attacks transgender rights and says he will ban ‘disfigurement of our youth’

FBI fully prepared after Trump’s ‘death and destruction’ post, lawmaker says

07:30 , Shweta Sharma

US senator Mark Warner said on Sunday he was briefed by the FBI on Donald Trump‘s rhetoric after the former president verbally lashed out at a New York prosecutor overseeing a grand jury investigation into alleged hush-money payments.

“I have been briefed by the FBI. They say they are fully prepared,” Warner, a Democrat and the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN on Sunday. “They have seen no specific threats but the level of rhetoric on some of these right-wing sites has increased.”

Mr Trump has ramped up his rhetoric against New York prosecutors who are leading investigations into the alleged payment of hush-money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

On Friday Mr Trump warned in a Truth Social post of “potential death and destruction” if he is charged in the case.

He also shared a composite picture showing him wielding a baseball bat next to the head of Mr Bragg, a post widely seen as a dangerous call to violence against a prosecutor. The post was later deleted.

Trump treats himself after first 2024 rally speech in Waco – with McDonald’s

07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump, at the end of a long rally to kick-off his 2024 presidential campaign, treated himself to perhaps his favourite food - McDonald’s.

Boxes of food from the fast-food chain were seen being carried on to Mr Trump’s private plane after the event in Waco, Texas, in pictures shared by the former president’s adviser Jason Miller.

The image showed a box of 20 Chicken McNuggets and a Quarter-Pounder with cheese. “Tasty treats,” Mr Miller wrote.

Mr Trump’s staff was also photographed carring McDonald’s bags onto the plane.

The 45th president bragged about his knowledge of the menu at a McDonald’s outlet during a visit last month to a community impacted by a toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Read more:

Trump treats himself after first 2024 rally speech in Waco – with McDonald’s

‘He’s an innocent man, just persecuted'

06:00 , AP

At several points, Trump criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to run for president and is seen as his strongest potential challenger for the GOP nomination. Trump called his onetime ally disloyal and said he was “dropping like a rock.”

Audience members were holding red and white signs handed out by the campaign that said “Witch Hunt,” “Trump 2024” and “I stand with Trump.”

Hours before Trump arrived, hundreds of his supporters began streaming into the airport past vendors selling merchandise including Trump flags, bumper stickers and action figures.

Among them was Eugene Torres, 41, who said he was unfazed by the prospect that Trump could be indicted.

“It’s just another political attack on him to keep him from running and winning this race again,” said Torres, who is from the Texas coast city of Corpus Christi.

Alan Kregel, 56, traveled with his wife from Dallas to see Trump in person for the first time. While he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, he said he felt the former president’s “methods and vocabulary” often detracted from his policies. But now, two years out of office, he said he is more supportive of Trump than he was before.

“He’s an innocent man, just persecuted,” said Kregel, arguing an indictment would help Trump win in 2024.

Trump’s lawyer hits out at his ‘ill-advised’ social media post

05:09 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump’s personal lawyer refused to defend his client’s social media posts over his potential indictment.

On Sunday he admitted that Mr Trump’s post sharing a picture of him holding a baseball bat next to a photo of the Manhattan District Attorney was “ill-advised”.

“I’m not his social media consultant,” lawyer Joe Tacopina said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “I think that was an ill-advised post that one of his social media people put up and he quickly took down when he realized the rhetoric and the photo that was attached to it.”

When asked if he is concerned that Mr Trump’s language can lead to a repeat of the January 6 riots, he said he claimed Mr Trump’s language has not led to violence.

“I’m not a Trump PR person. I’m a litigator and a lawyer,” Mr Tacopina said.

“And I’m talking about this case in Manhattan, which is a case that would not be brought if it were anyone other than Donald Trump. When we seek to use a prosecutor’s office to politicize and weaponize a campaign, that’s what’s troubling to me.”

PHOTOS: Trump holds campaign rally in Waco, Texas

05:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump suggests Manhattan DA ‘dropped’ Stormy case

04:51 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump has suggested that Manhattan’s district attorney has already dropped the Stormy Daniels hush money case, days after he set off a frenzied news cycle by claiming he would be arrested over the matter.

Speaking to reporters on his plane following a campaign speech in Waco, Texas, he said: “I think they’ve already dropped the case.

“It’s a fake case. Some fake cases, they have absolutely nothing.”

The Manhattan grand jury probing Mr Trump is expected to reconvene in the coming week

VIDEO: Trump holds first 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas

04:30 , The Independent

Trump’s choice of rally venue raises eyebrows

04:00 , AP

Trump’s eyebrow-raising choice of venue in Waco for his first rally came amid the 30th anniversary of a 51-day standoff and deadly siege between U.S. law enforcement and the Branch Davidians that resulted in the deaths of more than 80 members of the religious cult and four federal agents and has become a touchstone for far-right extremists and militia groups.

Trump’s campaign insisted the location and timing of the event had nothing to do with the Waco siege or anniversary. A spokesperson said the site, 17 miles from the Branch Davidian compound, was chosen because it was conveniently situated near four of the state’s biggest metropolitan areas — Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio — and has the infrastructure to handle a sizable crowd.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said before Trump’s arrival that he was the one who had suggested Waco as the venue. Any suggestion Trump had picked the city because of the anniversary was “fake news. I picked Waco!” he told the crowd.

Trump did not make any direct references in his speech to Waco’s history, telling the crowd of thousands that he told Patrick he wanted to hold his rally in a place with overwhelming support, not “one of those 50-50 areas,” and said he told Patrick, “Let’s go right into the heart of it.”

VIDEO: Trump invokes Jan. 6 at Waco rally ahead of possible charges

03:30 , The Independent

Trump declares innocence in Manhattan DA probe

03:00 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump used his first election rally in Waco, Texas, to rail against the prosecutors investigating him, employing dark and conspiratorial language to fire up his base ahead of next year’s Republican primary elections.

Mr Trump told supporters gathered at Waco’s airport on Saturday that 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.

The legal threats hanging over the former president were front of mind for some attendees, many of whom flashed signs saying “WITCH HUNT.”

He also spoke against Florida governor Ron DeSantis, seen as likely to be his main rival for the Republican nomination, saying “I’m not a big fan” of him and accusing DeSantis of plotting to slash social security.

Trump, facing potential indictment, holds defiant Waco rally

02:30 , AP

Facing a potential indictment, Donald Trump took a defiant stance at a rally Saturday in Waco, disparaging the prosecutors investigating him and predicting his vindication as he rallied supporters in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement.

With a hand over his heart, Trump stood at attention when his rally opened with a song called “Justice for All” performed by a choir of people imprisoned for their roles in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Some footage from the insurrection was shown on big screens displayed at the rally site as the choir sang the national anthem and a recording played of Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

The extraordinary display opened Trump’s first rally of his 2024 Republican presidential campaign. He then launched into a speech brimming with resentments and framed the probes, including a New York grand jury investigation, as political attacks on him and his followers.

“You will be vindicated and proud,” Trump said “The thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited and totally disgraced.”

Trump’s event at the airport grounds in Waco was part of a broader effort by the former president to use the potential indictment as a rallying cry for supporters to maintain his status as the GOP frontrunner in what is expected to be a crowded primary. It came one day after Trump raised the specter of violence should he become the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.

VIDEO: Trump holds first 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas

02:00 , The Independent

On the ground in Waco, the Trump faithful don’t believe he’ll be indicted: ‘It’s complete garbage’

01:30 , Josh Marcus

Investigators might be closing in on Donald Trump – in New York for hush money; Georgia for election meddling; Washington for mishandling classified documents – but the former president shouldn’t be all that worried, according to his loyal supporters who gathered in Waco, Texas, on Saturday for the kickoff of the 2024 Trump campaign.

“I don’t think it’ll stick,” Trump supporter Karey Cottrell told The Independent of the potential charges in New York, which are expected to drop some time next week.

“It’s complete garbage,” she added. “It’s ridiculous. I didn’t think they would stoop this low.”

Queues started to form early on Saturday morning at Waco Regional Airport where field after field was filled with vehicles decked out in Trump flags.

Read more:

On the ground in Waco, the Trump faithful don’t believe he’ll be indicted

‘He’s playing with fire’: Trump’s history of courting violence collides with Waco campaign rally

01:00 , Josh Marcus

As he enters his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump faces a looming potential indictment in New York, another set of potential charges in Georgia, and other possible criminal charges from a federal special counsel investigation. Meanwhile, a former GOP ally continues to pose a significant threat to his Republican presidential primary election in 2024.

The former president has demanded that his supporters protest and “TAKE OUR NATION BACK!” from what he calls the “CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL” Manhattan district attorney investigation, but so far only a handful of demonstrators have rallied to his defence at small events in Florida and New York.

Mr Trump, cornered by several investigations and predicting his own arrest in at least one of them, held his first 2024 presidential campaign rally in the city of Waco, Texas – in the middle of the 30th anniversary of the deadly 51-day siege that galvanised the far right and set the stage for the modern militia movement.

Following the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021, extremism researchers have traced predictions from the former president and his supporters of violence and dysfunction, with ideological echoes of the infamous 1993 federal law enforcement standoff near the same Texas town where Mr Trump has steered his campaign.

“Given what happened on January 6, he’s playing with fire,” professor Matthew Dallek, a political historian of the right and homeland security issues at George Washington University, told The Independent.

Read more:

‘Playing with fire’: Trump’s history of courting violence collides with Waco rally

Mary Trump tries to sabotage Trump’s Waco rally with a campaign to book out venue seats

Monday 27 March 2023 00:30 , Andrew Feinberg

Mary Trump, the clinical psychologist and author who is former president Donald Trump’s niece, has called on Americans to flood her uncle’s campaign website with ticket requests for his 25 March rally in Waco, Texas, so tickets will be allocated to people who won’t show up for the event.

Writing on Twitter, Ms Trump wrote that the Waco location is “a ploy to remind his cult of the infamous Waco siege of 1993, where an anti-government cult battled the FBI”.

The 1993 seige of a Waco compound used by the Branch Davidian religious cult was carried out by US law enforcement between 28 February and 19 April 1993. Seventy-six cult members died on the last day of the siege when a fire broke out as FBI personnel were attempting to force the cult members from the compound with tear gas.

Over the 51 days that began when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms tried to search the cult’s property, a total of four federal agents and 82 cult members — including 28 children — lost their lives.

Read more:

Mary Trump tries to sabotage Trump’s Waco rally by filling venue with no-shows

Trump fans want DeSantis to step aside to allow former president another White House run

Monday 27 March 2023 00:00 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump’s kickoff campaign rally in Waco on Saturday featured a gaggle of GOP loyalists from MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylore Greene.

But one Republican who wasn’t a hot favorite at the sprawling event in the Texas sun? Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida - the former president’s most likely rival in the 2024 Republican primaries.

Many in the crowd told The Independent that Mr Trump still had their support for the top job.

“He’s the only one,” rallygoer David Lee said while dressed in a royal costume he said was in honour of “King Trump.”

Others in Waco were more supportive of Mr DeSantis but said he should wait his turn before taking on Mr Trump.

Read more:

Trump fans want DeSantis to step aside to allow him another White House run

Trump rails against ‘demonic forces’ and pitches 2024 race as ‘the final battle’ at Waco rally

Sunday 26 March 2023 23:30 , Josh Marcus, Richard Hall

Donald Trump railed against “demonic forces” and pitched the 2024 presidential race as “the final battle” at the first rally of his third campaign for the White House in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.

Mr Trump opened the rally by playing a song recorded by a choir of men imprisoned for their involvement in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He then launched into a speech that echoed the same incendiary language he used in the run-up to that day.

“If we don’t win this election in 2024, I truly believe our country is doomed,” he said, hitting out at “demonic forces” who are “destroying the country.”

“Either the Deep State destroys America or we destroy the Deep State,” the former president said.

Read more:

Trump rails against ‘demonic forces’ and calls 2024 ‘the final battle’ at Waco rally

VIDEO: Trump claims tearful DeSantis begged for his endorsement in 2018

Sunday 26 March 2023 23:00 , The Independent

Trump starts Waco rally with song featuring him and January 6 choir

Sunday 26 March 2023 22:30 , Eric Garcia

Former president Donald Trump opened his rally in Waco, Texas by playing a song he collaborated on with a group of inmates who are in prison for their actions in the January 6 riot.

The group of defendants have billed themselves as J6 Choir and they sing a version of “The Star Spangled Banner” with Mr Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegience entitled “Justice for All.” The former president has pledged that if he is re-elected, he will give pardons to defendants.

Mr Trump is holding his first major campaign event since announcing his 2024 campaign in Waco, Texas – a week after he said he expected to be indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The song earned notoriety when it became the number one song on iTunes. The song is being used to raise money for the defendants through an LLC run by conservative activist Ed Henry.

Read more:

Trump starts Waco rally with song featuring him and January 6 choir

Trump denies having affair with Stormy Daniels repeating insulting nickname at Waco rally

Sunday 26 March 2023 22:00 , Eric Garcia

Former president Donald Trump vehemently denied that he had an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels as he faces a potential indictment for paying money to keep their affair quiet.

The former president decried New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg for investigating the payment and criticised the US Department of Justice.

“The district attorney of New York under the auspices and direction of the Department of Injustice in Washington, DC, was investigating me for something that is not a crime, not a misdemeanor, not an affair,” he said.

Mr Trump held his first major campaign rally in Waco, Texas, where he proceeded to insult Ms Daniels with an epithet he has used in the past.

Read more:

Trump denies affair with Stormy Daniels repeating insulting nickname at Waco rally

In Waco, Trump avoids mentioning standoff but praises insurrectionists and calls for war on deep state

Sunday 26 March 2023 21:30 , Josh Marcus

When Donald Trump announced he was heading to Waco, Texas, on Saturday to kick off his 2024 campaign, many feared that the former president’s presence in the city, made infamous in 1993 for a deadly 51-day standoff between armed cult members and federal agents, would be interpreted as a new call to militia-style violence.

“Given what happened on January 6, he’s playing with fire,” professor Matthew Dallek, a political historian of the right and homeland security issues at George Washington University, told The Independent ahead of the event.

When Trump Force One actually touched down in Waco, to a fired-up crowd that had been waiting in the scorching son all day on an airport tarmac to see him, the former president avoided mentioning the standoff itself, but offered scattered warnings of sinister forces, World War III, and an apocalyptic “final battle” that wouldn’t be out of place in a cult hall.

Read more:

In Waco, Trump avoids mentioning siege but invokes apocalyptic WWIII

VIDEO: Trump campaign rally opens with January 6 choir in Waco

Sunday 26 March 2023 21:00 , The Independent

Trump ramps up DeSantis attack at Waco rally saying he wept when he begged for endorsement

Sunday 26 March 2023 20:30 , Eric Garcia

Former president Donald Trump ramped up his criticisms of his potential 2024 challenger Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during his rally in Waco, Texas on Saturday.

Mr Trump used the epithet he has coined for the governor, calling him Ron “DeSanctimonious”. Mr Trump said that in 2018, Mr DeSantis begged the then-president to endorse him in the Republican primary for governor in Florida.

“But I’m a loyalist and and when a man comes to me tears in his eyes, he’s had almost nothing in the polls,” he told rallygoers. Mr Trump noted how at the time, Mr DeSantis registered much lower in the polls than then-agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam, who also had a significant money advantage.

“He’s at almost nothing, He’s got no cash,” Mr Trump said. “And I said, I can’t give you an endorsement. There’s no way you can when you’re dead.”

Read more:

Trump ramps up DeSantis attack in Waco, saying he wept and begged for endorsement

Trump attacks transgender rights at Waco rally saying he will ban ‘disfigurement of our youth’

Sunday 26 March 2023 20:00 , Joe Middleton

Former US president Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on “transgender insanity” and pledged to “revoke every Biden policy promoting the disfigurement of our youth”.

At the first rally of his 2024 presidential campaign on Saturday in Waco, Texas, Trump doubled down on a vow he made last month to revoke his successor’s policies on gender-affirming care for transgender children.

Trump said that he would “keep men out of women’s sports” if re-elected president, after he last year misgendered transgender athlete Lia Thomas.

Read more:

Trump attacks transgender rights and says he will ban ‘disfigurement of our youth’

Trump treats himself after first 2024 rally speech in Waco – with McDonald’s

Sunday 26 March 2023 19:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump, at the end of a long rally to kick-off his 2024 presidential campaign, treated himself to perhaps his favourite food - McDonald’s.

Boxes of food from the fast-food chain were seen being carried on to Mr Trump’s private plane after the event in Waco, Texas, in pictures shared by the former president’s adviser Jason Miller.

The image showed a box of 20 Chicken McNuggets and a Quarter-Pounder with cheese. “Tasty treats,” Mr Miller wrote.

Mr Trump’s staff was also photographed carring McDonald’s bags onto the plane.

The 45th president bragged about his knowledge of the menu at a McDonald’s outlet during a visit last month to a community impacted by a toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Read more:

Trump treats himself after first 2024 rally speech in Waco – with McDonald’s

On the ground in Waco, the Trump faithful don’t believe he’ll be indicted: ‘It’s complete garbage’

Sunday 26 March 2023 19:00 , Josh Marcus

Investigators might be closing in on Donald Trump – in New York for hush money; Georgia for election meddling; Washington for mishandling classified documents – but the former president shouldn’t be all that worried, according to his loyal supporters who gathered in Waco, Texas, on Saturday for the kickoff of the 2024 Trump campaign.

“I don’t think it’ll stick,” Trump supporter Karey Cottrell told The Independent of the potential charges in New York, which are expected to drop some time next week.

“It’s complete garbage,” she added. “It’s ridiculous. I didn’t think they would stoop this low.”

Queues started to form early on Saturday morning at Waco Regional Airport where field after field was filled with vehicles decked out in Trump flags.

Read more:

On the ground in Waco, the Trump faithful don’t believe he’ll be indicted

Trump fans want DeSantis to step aside to allow former president another White House run

Sunday 26 March 2023 18:31 , John Bowden

Donald Trump’s kickoff campaign rally in Waco on Saturday featured a gaggle of GOP loyalists from MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylore Greene.

But one Republican who wasn’t a hot favorite at the sprawling event in the Texas sun? Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida - the former president’s most likely rival in the 2024 Republican primaries.

Many in the crowd told The Independent that Mr Trump still had their support for the top job.

“He’s the only one,” rallygoer David Lee said while dressed in a royal costume he said was in honour of “King Trump.”

Others in Waco were more supportive of Mr DeSantis but said he should wait his turn before taking on Mr Trump.

Read more:

Trump fans want DeSantis to step aside to allow him another White House run

Rally attendee suggests ‘50,000 people’ should ‘take over the White House'

Sunday 26 March 2023 18:00 , Josh Marcus and Gustaf Kilander

Rally attendee Will Montford’s family is originally from Mexico, he now lives in Bryan, Texas.

“The problem in America is not one person,” he told The Independent.

He said that Mr Trump is a man of the people.

“He’s not fake. He’s one of us, but he’s a billionaire,” he said, adding that he “is a real human being. At least he makes me feel that way”.

“If people really loved this country, 50,000 people would go take over the White House and say no more of this,” he said.

Mike Lindell says DeSantis should ‘endorse Donald Trump tomorrow morning'

Sunday 26 March 2023 17:30 , Gustaf Kilander

MyPillow CEO and election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell called Ron DeSantis a “trojan horse” and claimed that “the best thing he could do is endorse Donald Trump tomorrow morning”.

Ted Nugent blasts Afghanistan withdrawal

Sunday 26 March 2023 17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Ted Nugent slammed the botched withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, saying, “I didn’t authorize giving our military hardware to the Taliban, I want my money back”.

Trump soundtrack sends militant message

Sunday 26 March 2023 16:30 , Josh Marcus

If there was any mistaking the militant message in Trump world, consider the soundtrack: the former president began his remarks with a version of the national anthem, sung by people imprisoned for participation in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

Between these statements, Mr Trump railed against the prosecutors in Florida, Georgia, and Washington considering unprecedented criminal charges against the former president, calling them “the Department of Injustice and their local henchmen.”

“The new weapon being used by out of control, unhinged Democrats to cheat in elections is to criminally investigate a candidate, bad publicity and all,” Mr Trump said. “I’ve got bad publicity but my poll numbers have gone through the roof.”

‘We’re at a very pivotal point in our country,’ Trump says

Sunday 26 March 2023 16:00 , Josh Marcus

“Either we surrender to the demonic forces abolishing and demolishing – and happily doing so – our country, or we defeat them in a landslide on November 5, 2024,” Mr Trump told the crowd on Saturday.

“Either the deep state destroys America, or we destroy the deep state,” he added. “We’re at a very pivotal point in our country.”

Before Mr Trump took the stage, conservative rocker Ted Nugent delivered a guitar solo version of the “Star Spangled Banner,” but not before asking the crowd for January 6-inspired “moment of silence for the political prisoners in the gulags of Washington, DC, because of jackbooted thugs in our own government.”

‘Why do you think they’re trying to stop him?’: Rally attendee says Trump is ‘only’ candidate

Sunday 26 March 2023 15:30 , Josh Marcus and Gustaf Kilander

Rally attendee David Lee wore a king outfit to the rally, calling Mr Trump the “MAGA king” when speaking to The Independent.

He said he’s from South Vietnam, a country that no longer exists following the reunification of Vietnam in 1976.

He slammed diversity, equity, and inclusion, such as gender inclusivity, as an attempt to “brainwash the children”.

Mr Lee said Mr Trump is “the only” candidate. “Why do you think they’re trying to stop him?”

When asked about Mr Trump’s legal woes, Mr Lee said “they’re so scared”.

Trump says DeSantis came ‘to me with tears in his eyes, he had almost nothing in the polls’

Sunday 26 March 2023 15:00 , Josh Marcus, Richard Hall

Mr Trump attacked rivals in his own party —including potential primary challenger Ron DeSantis and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell.

Mr Trump used the epithet he has coined for the Florida governor, calling Ron “DeSanctimonious.” Mr Trump said that in 2018, Mr DeSantis begged the then-president to endorse him in the Republican primary for governor in Florida.

“But I’m a loyalist and when a man comes to me with tears in his eyes, he’s had almost nothing in the polls,” he told rallygoers. Mr Trump noted how at the time, Mr DeSantis registered much lower in the polls than then-agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam, who also had a significant money advantage.

“He’s at almost nothing, he’s got no cash,” Mr Trump said.

Mr DeSantis has yet to announce whether he will challenge Mr Trump. But many conservative activists have rallied behind him after he won re-election last year by almost 20 points.

Among the crowd, Mr Trump’s supporters were less than enthused about Mr DeSantis potentially challenging their candidate.

“DeSantis is great, but I think he needs to let Trump do four more years,” Tammy Pavelka of Waco told The Independent. “He’ll take over the next eight.”

From the stage, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell went further, going directly after the Florida Republican and calling him “Trojan horse Ron DeSantis.”

“The best thing he can do is endorse Donald Trump tomorrow morning,” Mr Lindell told the crowd, to applause.

In Waco, Trump avoids mentioning standoff but praises insurrectionists and calls for war on deep state

Sunday 26 March 2023 14:30 , Josh Marcus

When Donald Trump announced he was heading to Waco, Texas, on Saturday to kick off his 2024 campaign, many feared that the former president’s presence in the city, made infamous in 1993 for a deadly 51-day standoff between armed cult members and federal agents, would be interpreted as a new call to militia-style violence.

“Given what happened on January 6, he’s playing with fire,” professor Matthew Dallek, a political historian of the right and homeland security issues at George Washington University, told The Independent ahead of the event.

When Trump Force One actually touched down in Waco, to a fired-up crowd that had been waiting in the scorching son all day on an airport tarmac to see him, the former president avoided mentioning the standoff itself, but offered scattered warnings of sinister forces, World War III, and an apocalyptic “final battle” that wouldn’t be out of place in a cult hall.

Read more:

In Waco, Trump avoids mentioning siege but invokes apocalyptic WWIII

Rally held on 30th anniversary of standoff between federal agents and religious sect

Sunday 26 March 2023 14:00 , Josh Marcus and Richard Hall

Queues started to form early on Saturday morning at Waco Regional Airport where field after field was filled with vehicles decked out in Trump flags.

Mr Trump held the rally in the city of Waco on the 30th anniversary of a militarised standoff between federal agents and the Branch Davidian religious sect in nearby Elk, Texas claimed the lives of more than 80 people.

The event partly inspired Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to attack two years later, and for those on the militant fringe of American life, Waco came to serve as a symbol of violent government overreach or the beginning of the end times.

‘They’re flooding your towns with deadly drugs selling your jobs to China’

Sunday 26 March 2023 13:00 , Josh Marcus and Richard Hall

Mr Trump said on Saturday that “they’re flooding your towns with deadly drugs selling your jobs to China, mutilating your children … setting fire to your life savings, releasing violent criminals to prey on innocent people”.

“I am your warrior. I am your justice. And I took a lot of heat for this one, but I only meant it in the proper way — to those who have been wronged and betrayed, of which there are many people out there, I will be your retribution,” he added.

Mr Trump, who is facing a potential indictment for the payment of hush money to an adult film actress with whom he allegedly had an affair, and is also under investigation for election meddling and mishandling of documents, took aim at the various law enforcement agencies investigating him, describing them as “something straight out of the Stalinist Russia horror show.”

“This is really prosecutorial misconduct, that’s what it’s called. The innocence of people makes no difference whatsoever to these radical left maniacs,” Mr Trump said.

“The thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited and totally disgraced,” he added.

‘Trojan horse’: Mike Lindell says he can’t say ‘enough horrible things’ about Ron DeSantis

Sunday 26 March 2023 12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Election conspiracy theorist and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell appeared on the Right Side Broadcasting Network ahead of Mr Trump’s rally in Waco, Texas on Saturday.

“Ron DeSantis, the Trojan horse. I mean, I can’t say enough horrible things about the guy and I don’t care. I put it out there,” he said.

Trump supporters believe investigations into ex-president will flame out

Sunday 26 March 2023 11:00 , Josh Marcus

The MAGA faithful say that the multiple legal probes against Mr Trump - who has survived two impeachments, a special counsel investigation, and numerous lawsuits and probes throughout his life - will flame out.

“For almost eight years, that’s what they’ve been doing,” rallygoer Tammy Pavelka told The Independent. “He’s draining the swamp, so they’re after him.”

Mention of Mr Bragg, the New York prosecutor, was particularly unpopular at the rally.

“Bragg, he’s just looking for popularity,” Ms Pavelka said.

Another man was seen holding an “Arrest Alvin Bragg” t-shirt.

Trump rails against ‘demonic forces’ and pitches 2024 race as ‘the final battle’ at Waco rally

Sunday 26 March 2023 10:00 , Josh Marcus, Richard Hall

Donald Trump railed against “demonic forces” and pitched the 2024 presidential race as “the final battle” at the first rally of his third campaign for the White House in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.

Mr Trump opened the rally by playing a song recorded by a choir of men imprisoned for their involvement in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He then launched into a speech that echoed the same incendiary language he used in the run-up to that day.

“If we don’t win this election in 2024, I truly believe our country is doomed,” he said, hitting out at “demonic forces” who are “destroying the country.”

“Either the Deep State destroys America or we destroy the Deep State,” the former president said.

Read more:

Trump rails against ‘demonic forces’ and calls 2024 ‘the final battle’ at Waco rally

Marjorie Taylor Greene pushes often-made claim that Alvin Bragg is linked to George Soros

Sunday 26 March 2023 09:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The Right Side Broadcasting Network advertised a “free Trump knife” ahead of the rally in Waco, Texas.

Marjorie Taylor Greene repeated a claim often made by conservatives about Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.

“Here we have Alvin Bragg, on the verge of breaking the law, as he’s trying to please his Master, George Soros,” she said on RSBN.

Mr Trump pushed the same idea in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.

“How can a highly controversial, George Soros backed District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, who presides over one of the most crime ridden, violent, and dangerous Cities in the U.S., with no retribution toward these heinous criminals, bring charges against the 45th, and quite possibly the 47th, President of the United States, who received more votes than any sitting President in history, over 75,000,000, and who is currently leading all candidates, by a lot, when there is NO CRIME OF ANY KIND???” Mr Trump wrote.

But the connection between Mr Bragg and Mr Soros is far from as close as Republicans would like it to appear.

The racial justice group Color of Change, to which Mr Soros donated $1m in 2021, works to influence government and corporate policy across the US.

The Open Society Policy Center, which is funded by Mr Soros, sent $7m to the group’s 501(c)(4) branch that same year.

But none of those funds was earmarked for the Bragg campaign or connected to attempts to influence him, CNBC notes.

A spokesperson for Mr Soros told CNBC that he “has never met or spoken to Alvin Bragg”.

Democrats and experts have often argued that the attacks on Mr Soros, who is Jewish, are anti-Semitic.

The president of Color of Change, Rashad Robinson, tweeted on 19 March: “Make no mistake, over the next couple of days as more news about potential consequences for Trump circulates, we will see a flood of anti-Black and anti-Semitic attacks from the former President and his supporters and enablers.”

“They will attack those of us fighting to end mass incarceration, working to hold police accountable & pushing to the day when the rich and powerful don’t live by a different set of rules. They will attack those of us doing the work like @ColorOfChange n allies & those funding it,” he added.

On the ground in Waco, the Trump faithful don’t believe he’ll be indicted: ‘It’s complete garbage’

Sunday 26 March 2023 08:00 , Josh Marcus

On the ground in Waco, the Trump faithful don’t believe he’ll be indicted: ‘It’s complete garbage’

Investigators might be closing in on Donald Trump – in New York for hush money; Georgia for election meddling; Washington for mishandling classified documents – but the former president shouldn’t be all that worried, according to his loyal supporters who gathered in Waco, Texas, on Saturday for the kickoff of the 2024 Trump campaign.

“I don’t think it’ll stick,” Trump supporter Karey Cottrell told The Independent of the potential charges in New York, which are expected to drop some time next week.

“It’s complete garbage,” she added. “It’s ridiculous. I didn’t think they would stoop this low.”

Queues started to form early on Saturday morning at Waco Regional Airport where field after field was filled with vehicles decked out in Trump flags.

Read more:

On the ground in Waco, the Trump faithful don’t believe he’ll be indicted

Right wing broadcaster says Ted Nugent diatribe 'is channeling what a lot of Americans feel’

Sunday 26 March 2023 07:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Ed Henry said on Real America’s Voice that during his rally speech in Waco, Texas on Saturday, Ted Nugent was “channelling what a lot of Americans feel”.

Matt Gaetz argues GOP remains in Trump’s control

Sunday 26 March 2023 06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz argued on Saturday afternoon that the Republican Party is still being controlled by Mr Trump.

“They want to return to the old ways of the Romneys and the McConnells. Well, guess what? This is Donald Trump’s party and I’m a Donald Trump Republican,” he said.

Matt Gaetz calls on Ted Cruz and Ron DeSantis

Sunday 26 March 2023 05:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Florida Representative called on Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to endorse Donald Trump.

“Ron DeSantis and Ted Cruz should endorse Donald Trump today! We need the best and brightest minds unified under the Trump banner,” he told Real America’s Voice.

‘DeSantis is great, but I think he needs to let Trump do four more years'

Sunday 26 March 2023 04:30 , Josh Marcus

Trump supporters think Florida Governor Ron DeSantis should step aside and let the former president lead the party again in 2024.

“DeSantis is great, but I think he needs to let Trump do four more years,” Tammy Pavelka of Waco told The Independent. “He’ll take over the next eight.”

From the stage, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell went further, going directly after the Florida Republican and calling him “Trojan horse Ron DeSantis.”

“The best thing he can do is endorse Donald Trump tomorrow morning,” Mr Lindell told the crowd, to applause.

For its part, the Trump campaign has no love lost for its former ally DeSantis. In recent weeks, Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked Mr DeSantis online.

The Trump campaign recently said working with Mr DeSantis, potentially as a vice president, is a “very unlikely alliance.”

“I’ve never even thought of it,” Mr Trump said earlier this week.

Trump supporters say hush money payments don’t matter

Sunday 26 March 2023 04:00 , Josh Marcus

For some Trump supporters, even if Mr Trump did make the hush money payments under investigation by the Manhattan DA, it doesn’t really matter.

Rusty Lee, who works in the oil and gas industry near the Louisiana border, attended the rally decked out in a full American-flag print suit and oversized Trump mask, which was leading to a lot of requests for selfies.

He’s been to five or six other Trump rallies and said that if he was a billionaire facing allegations of an affair, he would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to make that go away, too.

“It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I didn’t hire this man as a moral leader. I have a pastor for that.”

Plus, Mr Lee added, Mr Trump, like every other president before him, has managed to make it this far without facing criminal charges.

“That’s JV [Junior Varsity] stuff man,” he said, making an amateur sports reference. “He’s gone through a lot worse than that...Trump’s clean. If he wasn’t, he’s spent so many years in the spotlight, and something comes out now. Come on.”

Mike Lindell says ‘evil’ exposed itself during 2020 election

Sunday 26 March 2023 03:30 , Gustaf Kilander

MyPillow CEO and election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell told the crowd at the Waco rally that “evil” exposed itself during the 2020 election.

“The 2020 election will go down as one of the most important elections in history because of evil exposing itself,” he said.

Trump supporter claims investigations into ex-president are linked to QAnon conspiracy theory

Sunday 26 March 2023 03:00 , Josh Marcus

Some Trump supporters believe that the investigations are part of a wider plot against the former president.

Attendee Shelley Harrison, of Dallas, said that officials are targeting Mr Trump because he helped expose the “child trafficking issue,” – a QAnon conspiracy theory which purports that Democrat and media elites are responsible for child trafficking.

“He knows too much,” she said. “He’s exposing the truth. They don’t want people to believe him.”

Trump fans want DeSantis to step aside to allow former president another White House run

Sunday 26 March 2023 02:30 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump’s kickoff campaign rally in Waco on Saturday featured a gaggle of GOP loyalists from MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylore Greene.

But one Republican who wasn’t a hot favorite at the sprawling event in the Texas sun? Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida - the former president’s most likely rival in the 2024 Republican primaries.

Many in the crowd told The Independent that Mr Trump still had their support for the top job.

“He’s the only one,” rallygoer David Lee said while dressed in a royal costume he said was in honour of “King Trump.”

Others in Waco were more supportive of Mr DeSantis but said he should wait his turn before taking on Mr Trump.

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Trump fans want DeSantis to step aside to allow him another White House run

‘I wanna see Trump riff. He’s so funny, he’s like a comedian'

Sunday 26 March 2023 02:00 , Josh Marcus and Gustaf Kilander

Dave, a rally attendee from the Austin area, told The Independent that he had come to see Mr Trump speak for his sense of humour.

“I wanna see Trump riff. He’s so funny, he’s like a comedian,” he said.

“He speaks from the heart. He’s off the cuff,” he added.

He went on to praise Mr Trump for having “crushed ISIS”.

Regarding gender issues, he asked, “is this what we should be basing our decisions on, not merit?”

“There’s no place for that in a kid’s class. Let parents tell their kids about that,” he added.

He said he was a fan of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

“I love it. I’m a big DeSantis guy ... smart people are calling on Donald Trump to get smart on certain things ... like some of the gender stuff,” he said.

Rally attendee suggests border be given ‘a breather for a while'

Sunday 26 March 2023 00:30 , Josh Marcus and Gustaf Kilander

Mike Landis, a rally attendee from Whitney, Texas spoke to The Independent about the situation at the southern border.

“No borders, no country,” he said. “Close it up. Shut it down. Give it a breather for a while.”

About Mr Trump’s legal woes and possible upcoming indictment, he added: “It’s all BS.”

“It’s not a big deal,” he added. “They’re trying to get him out. They know they can’t beat him with ballots.”