This Saturday, January 15, during a meeting in Arizona in front of his supporters, Donald Trump once again declared that he had won the last presidential election in the United States and criticized the “politicians of Washington” who want to “control” the lives of Americans.
“We’re tired of Washington politicians controlling our lives. We are fed up with the obligations”, he thundered to his supporters, adding: “The extremist democrats want to make the United States a communist country”.
During this meeting, Donald Trump again sang his leitmotif since the last presidential election in November 2020: “We won the elections. We have largely won. We can’t let them off the hook.”
Before his speech, speakers had already heated the crowd, referring to Joe Biden as someone “weak”, “deranged”, while targeting the “lame media”, whistled by supporters of the former Republican president.
Donald Trump at a meeting in Arizona
Some supporters had arrived in Florence, a rural town southeast of Arizona’s state capital, Phoenix, several days in advance from Florida or Texas. In the desert wind floated, on a vast field, the flags “Trump 2020” and “Trump 2024”, to encourage the billionaire defeated at the polls after four years in the White House to run for the next presidential election.
“It’s almost like a Woodstock MAGA,” says Jonathan Riches. A mix between the hippie festival of the 1960s and the “Make America Great Again” meetings of the ex-real estate magnate. Jonathan Riches, supporter of the former president, claims to be at his 40th public meeting of Donald Trump. “They are patriots from all over the country coming together for the good of the country. We love our president,” he explains.
“lame media”
After having invoked in particular an alleged malice of the media to explain the cancellation of a press conference which he wanted to organize on January 6, during the first anniversary of the murderous assault of his supporters on the American Capitol, Donald Trump therefore this time faces a conquered public.
Among the guests was Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who Donald Trump has endorsed and who has claimed in the past that she would not have certified Joe Biden’s victory in the key state. if she had been in office at the time.
Donald Trump retains great influence over the Republican Party. Many elected officials wishing to keep their seats in the next elections wish to benefit from his dubbing and therefore often adhere to conspiracy theories suggesting that the presidential election has been stolen or at least do not openly deny them.
The meeting in Florence was the first with a large audience since October for the billionaire. As he often does, Donald Trump proclaimed it to be the “biggest audience”, going “beyond the eye can see”. No precise figures were provided, however, and the crowd did not have the magnitude of those who came to see him before his victory in 2016.