All the Lies and Dangerous Rhetoric From Trump's Waco Rally
All the Lies and Dangerous Rhetoric From Trump's Waco Rally
Former President Donald Trump returned to the political spotlight with a high-profile rally in Waco, Texas, a unique choice for a rally location with a mix of historical significance and political strategy.
Despite accusations of insensitivity for scheduling the rally during the 30th anniversary of the deadly Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Trump had a multitude of reasons for choosing the city and state. Waco is located in the heart of Trump country, the Texas division, an area of the country known for its religious and anti-federal government conservatism that has been receptive to Trump's political message. Additionally, Waco is centrally located within 200 miles of heavily Republican areas around Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, making it a strategic location for a rally in a crucial swing state. However, Trump's recent legal troubles, including possible criminal indictment, added an extra layer of complexity to the event.
Before Trump took stage, several well-known Republicans spoke about matters that Republicans seem to have really begun to embrace. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller made remarks at the rally that some may consider extreme, resembling those that might be heard in a declaration of civil war rather than at a political rally. His words added to the potentially dangerous rhetoric already present at the event.
"It's patriots vs. traitors, and I'm a patriot," Miller declared, a statement that some find concerning. His appearance at the rally, supporting the Republican frontrunner, has raised questions about his involvement in politics.
Ted Nugent, the controversial rocker and staunch supporter of Donald Trump, launched into a homophobic rant during the rally. Nugent falsely claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, is gay and demanded a refund for the billions of dollars in aid sent to the country.
The musician, who was one of the first speakers at the event, criticized the Biden administration's spending decisions, including the withdrawal of US military equipment from Afghanistan. Nugent went on to make a series of bigoted remarks, saying "I want my money back! I didn't authorize any money to Ukraine to some homosexual weirdo. I want my money back! I want my freedom back!" The crowd cheered him on as he added, "Men don't give me my rights, God gives my rights."
Nugent's remarks drew criticism from many who watched the rally, with some calling them divisive and inappropriate. The incident highlights the continuing influence of inflammatory rhetoric and controversial figures in American politics.
Trump kicked off his rally by playing "Justice For All," a song he collaborated on with January 6 insurrectionists. This move has drawn criticism as it appears to be celebrating the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol. Such an action could be seen as un-American and potentially divisive.
Trump then went into talking to his supporters, in a manner that he likely hopes will entice them to come out and vote in 2024. He said “You will be vindicated and proud the thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited and totally disgraced.”
Trump’s Lies
During the rally former President Donald Trump made a number of false claims, including insisting that he had actually won the 2020 election, which he alleged was "rigged" against him. "We won in 2016. We won by much more in 2020 but it was rigged," he asserted. Later, he reiterated the claim, saying "It's a rigged system. Like we had a rigged election." Despite his repeated allegations, there is no evidence to support his claims.
Trump also claimed that investigators were unable to find any wrongdoing after reviewing 11 million pages of documents related to his "great company." However, fact-checking shows that the Trump Organization, which Trump remains the principal owner of, was actually convicted of 17 felonies, including tax fraud. This contradicts Trump's assertion that investigators found nothing. In addition to the Trump Organization, Trump's foundation and university were also shut down for fraudulent actions, suggesting a pattern of fraudulent behavior. These findings suggest that running a fraudulent company is often indicative of a fraudulent individual.
Moreover, Trump also made a demonstrably false assertion about the US trade deficit, claiming that China was "ripping us off, making $600 billion a year." In reality, the US has never had a trade deficit of that magnitude with China, even if one only considers trade in goods and disregards the surplus in services trade that the US enjoys with China. Trump went on to claim that his tariffs on Chinese goods resulted in US farmers making $28 billion. However, numerous studies have found that American consumers are the ones bearing the brunt of the costs of Trump's tariffs on imported Chinese products, and that American importers, not Chinese exporters, are the ones paying the actual tariff fees to the US government.
Trump also boasted of having completed hundreds of miles of border wall, fulfilling his campaign promise from 2016. However, according to US Customs and Border Protection, only about 458 miles of wall had actually been completed during his tenure. While an additional 280 miles had been earmarked for wall construction, they had not yet been completed. As CNN's Priscilla Alvarez explained, of these 280 miles, about 74 miles of barriers were "in the pre-construction phase and have not yet been awarded, in locations where no barriers currently exist," while 206 miles were "currently under contract, in place of dilapidated and outdated designs and in locations where no barriers previously existed."
TX Lt Gov Dan Patrick, always the Trump defender took responsibility for the decision to rally in Waco. Yet even that makes it obvious WHY Waco was chosen, on that particular day, regardless of who actually made the decision.
What I really want to know, always in fact, isn’t what he said (it’s always the same and mostly lies anyway-aren’t we beyond this yet?) but exactly how many attended and how big the venue was or how many it was meant to hold. Photos are deceiving. Venues are stacked with ringers and wannabes with campaign provided signs for the best camera shots. Even a form of casual DEI is used to place a variety of races & both genders behind the candidate in front of the cameras. Attendance is information I have rarely ever seen in a rally review. Tulsa is the only rally where attendance was actually the subject. And it’s rare for cameras to pan the entire venue. Is it any wonder people are wary of media covering Trump or MAGA candidates? What’s not being reported is what’s so obvious. So...why?