Donald Trump has come under fire over his upcoming rally in Waco, Texas, with the former president facing a number of potential headaches as he attempts to kick-start his 2024 campaign.
Trump will appear at his first major public 2024 rally in the Lone Star state on Saturday, March 25, while facing a potential historic indictment in New York as part of an investigation into alleged hush money paid to Stormy Daniels.
Trump's team announced the Waco rally on March 17, one day before the former president claimed on social media that he would be arrested under Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's probe and called for his supporters to protest.
The timing of the rally has raised eyebrows, as it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Waco siege, which ended with the deaths of 86 people, including dozens of children.
As well as the looming indictment and controversy about the location and date of the rally, Trump's appearance in Waco could also be hindered by a lack of guest speakers and a sabotage attempt from a member of his own family.
Ahead of the rally, Texas newspaper The Houston Chronicle published a scathing editorial that suggests it is not a coincidence that Trump is appearing in Waco for the first time just days after calling for his supporters to protest his apparent upcoming indictment.
Since the deadly 1993 siege involving members of David Koresh's Branch Davidian cult and the FBI ended in a huge fire at the Mount Carmel Center, the Waco massacre has been seen as a symbol of government overreach.
Trump and other Republicans say that any arrest of the former president would be proof of the "weaponization" of the federal government by the Biden administration and claim that criminal investigations into him are politically motivated.
"Trump doesn't do subtle; dog-whistle messages are not his style," The Chronicle editorial board wrote. "The more apt metaphor is the blaring air horn of a Mack 18-wheeler barreling down I-10."
Steven Cheung, spokesperson for Trump, said that there is nothing untoward about having the rally in Waco and that the city was chosen "because it is centrally located to all four of Texas' biggest metropolitan areas—Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio—while providing the necessary infrastructure to hold a rally of this magnitude.
"This is the ideal location to have as many supporters from across the state and in neighboring states attend this historic rally," Cheung told Newsweek.
It is reported that Trump is also struggling to get GOP figures to appear as a guest speakers at the Waco rally amid suggestions the New York grand jury are gearing up to vote on whether to indict the former president in the coming days.
The names of other speakers in Waco have still not been confirmed by Trump's team, but several Texas Republicans have confirmed they will not be attending.
Aides for Rep. Troy Nehls, who has endorsed Trump for 2024, told Insider he cannot attend the rally as he has an engagement in Washington D.C. that day.
Rep. Pete Sessions, a Waco native, also has prior engagements on March 25, with Rep. Michael McCaul, and state GOP chairman Matt Rinaldi also saying they are unable to attend.
Waco Mayor Dillon Meek, will be another absentee as he is attending a centennial banquet for the 10th Court of Appeals on Saturday. He expressed concern that the event will once again highlight the Branch Davidian tragedy that the local community has spent decades striving to move on from.
"My hope is that the national image of our city will continue to reflect the positive occurrences in Waco rather than a siege, albeit tragic, that occurred 30 years ago," Meek said.
Meanwhile, podcast host Mary Trump, niece and frequent critic of the former president, called on her social media followers to sign up to get free tickets for the rally at the Waco Regional Airport and then not attend to "fill this venue with empty seats."
"Donald has a rally in Waco this Saturday. It's a ploy to remind his cult of the infamous Waco siege of 1993, where an anti-government cult battled the FBI. Scores of people died. He wants the same violent chaos to rescue him from justice," Mary Trump tweeted to her 1.6 million followers.
"But we can stop him. If we book the 50,000+ venue, we can make sure most of the seats are empty when the traitor takes the stage. We can no longer fail to hold powerful men accountable for their crimes against our country," she wrote.
Update, 3/24/23, 2 p.m. ET: The headline on this article was amended.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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