‘No crime, no misdemeanor’: With prosecution still open, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty at his first campaign rally ahead of the 2024 presidential election in Waco, Texas, a city where a police operation against a religious sect has ended since the age of 30 . in a massacre with 76 killed.

A few days ago, the former US president said his arrest was imminent in the case of financing porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

“The New York State Attorney’s Office, under the auspices and direction of the Department of Justice (as it was called in the Department of Justice) in Washington, D.C., has filed a case against me that is neither a felony nor a misdemeanor,” Trump told thousands of supporters. in Texas.

The city of Waco, with a population of about 130,000, is still associated with the anti-government religious sect of David.

In the spring of 1993, the world watched for 51 days as the FBI laid siege to a farm where armed supporters of cult leader David David Cores were encamped. Seventy-six members of the sect, including 20 children, were killed in a fire that broke out on a ranch after a raid by US security forces. Four policemen were also killed.

The tragedy is considered a milestone for the far right in the US.

Donald Trump’s staff declined to answer AFP’s question about the symbolism of choosing Waco for a campaign rally.

The former US president used to present himself as a victim of a “witch hunt”. “They distort everything to tarnish his image,” said 49-year-old Kelly Heath. The 79-year-old retiree, who attended the event with his 16-year-old grandson, who says he is a “big fan of Trump” even though he is not yet old enough to vote for him, noted that “all presidents have had mistresses. Why doesn’t he too?” “It’s all a lie! He is the leader who will save America,” said the 55-year-old Trump supporter.

Street vendors have set up stalls with hats and T-shirts for Donald Trump supporters. The poster read: “Democrats are communists.”

A campaign rally in Waco, Texas, gave the mogul an opportunity to revive his campaign, which still lacks momentum, even though most polls show Trump will win the Republican nomination in the upcoming presidential election.

But some on the right, and especially wealthy donors, have turned to another politician, 44-year-old Ron DeSandis. The Florida governor has not yet officially announced his candidacy, but he is expected to become one of Trump’s main rivals for the Republican nomination.

Source: APE-ME, AFP, REUTERS.