Four years ago, Donald Trump called on his supporters for a massive protest during the formalization of the electoral vote and conjured up a riotous insurrection mob that nearly shut down the proceedings. If he’s hoping for the same during his criminal trial, it’s not working out so far.
Trump has made multiple TruthSocial posts claiming that police are shutting down the masses of Republicans who would like to protest in front of the courthouse and repeated the claims in a pre-hearing press conference on Tuesday.
The reality is, though, that there is no sign that Trump’s fans are trying to show up in crowds to support him in this time of ego-restoring need.
Last Monday, the first day of the trial, the Associated Press captured video of both supporters and folks who think it’s high time the former president faces some consequences, in contrasting protests.
Most people, though, no matter how passionate about defending their golden idol or about law and democracy, can’t really spend four weekdays, week in and week out, standing outside a courtroom to soothe the ego of a former president.
In fact, even on that first day, the crowd numbered only “dozens” of supporters, and even they were outnumbered by reporters, according to Politico.
The fans say they’re getting tired of trials. And, of course, the consequences for the events of January 6th, which the most devoted supporters still spin as being unfair punishments doled out to “peaceful protestors,” weigh heavily on the minds of some. That’s a far cry, though, from what Trump is claiming. He wrote:
“But the area surrounding the Courthouse, in Downtown Manhattan, is closed up like a drum, with New York City’s Finest (Police) all over the place….Republicans want the right to protest in front of the Courthouse, like everyone else!”
One politi-comic duo, The Good Liars, checked out the area around the courthouse for supporters on Monday and found approximately five.
We did an investigation to find out how many Trump supporters showed to his trial today. pic.twitter.com/6aBtQ2Ehil
— The Good Liars (@TheGoodLiars) April 23, 2024
What else is visible in the video? A lack of massive police presence preventing any protestors from demonstrating in the area.
Also absent: Trump’s wife, Melania, and any of his adult children, including those who hold official positions in his businesses, who worked on his first political campaign, and who were part of his White House team.
In other words, there is not a lot of support showing up in person for the ex-president, though Trump has emphasized that he’s still getting a lot of love online. Watch his Tuesday gripe-fest below.
Trump: People that want to come down and protest at the court and they want to protest peacefully. We have more police presence here than anyone has seen. You can't get near the courthouse pic.twitter.com/qZLUffYPqT
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 23, 2024
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