Here he comes at last, the “MAGA King”, the self-proclaimed king of the “greatest movement in American history”, the main instigator of the “Make America Great Again” revolution. Not that he came up with the slogan himself: he borrowed it from Ronald Reagan. And his “big move” suffered a clear defeat in the US election in November 2020. But Donald Trump (76) does not concern himself with such details in his rallies, with which he currently travels the country. It’s about the show. And the big question is whether he will throw his hat back in the ring in 2024.
His black and white Boeing 757 with the gold lettering lands on the tarmac of Arnold Palmer Airport in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, right on target in front of about 10,000 fans who queued for hours and were searched by the Secret Service to tell him, “The Don», the ex-president and still the most popular Republican in the country.
“Jesus is my Savior, Trump is my President”
Many had stocked up on $20 T-shirts that read, “Jesus is my Savior, Trump is my President.” Or with blue, red and white “Fuck Joe Biden” flags and “The elections were stolen” pins. They are the insignia of a movement that until now has been mostly peaceful but dangerous. The “MAGA” crowd is a minority in America. But the danger is that she won’t admit it.
The crowd cheers as Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ echoes down the runway. An oily smell rises from the chip shop on the edge of the makeshift political arena. In the front many beautiful people descend the stairs of the Trump plane. Then comes the ex-president. He waves. He smiles. The 76-year-old looks fit. He is in a good mood and hard to stop for the next two hours.
The Trump show works on a simple recipe: The ex-president blows a topic into the crowd, some claim. For example, “Did you see the Obama rally? He only had 200 people today. We’ve got tens of thousands!” Then he waits for the response. Catches her, then sings on the subject until the honking stops. Trump’s old perennials work well: the media (“enemies of the people”), Nancy Pelosi (” once a socialist, now a communist”), prices for bacon and turkey (“if I were president, you wouldn’t pay twice as much for it”) and the drug epidemic in the US (“I’m introducing the death penalty for dealers”) .
Trump: live quite disappointing
China, Ukraine and the Trump-created Space Force are underperforming. The cheering stops. Trump is changing fast. It takes less than ten seconds for Xi Jinping (69) to jump back to the bacon prizes. He improvises and jumps happily back and forth between the themes. An actual tension, a clear statement, is not clear. If this was a school lecture, with any luck, Trump would get “enough.”
But this is not a school lecture, this is a “MAGA” rally. The Trump fans take pictures, drink soda (there is no alcohol), listen, sometimes gossip with the people around them. Trump at the front of the stage didn’t take a break for two hours, didn’t take a sip of water, didn’t make any promises. This is impressive. And quite desolate for long stretches. The Trump show is much more gripping as a two-minute trailer than as a two-hour live event.
“I’ll say it very, very, very soon”
At 8:31 pm finally the final, the big question: will Trump participate again? Will there be another political battle between the elderly giants in 2024? “Say it! Say it! Say it!” cried the crowd. Trump is enjoying the moment. “Believe me, I want to say it. But I won’t tell. Not now, now it’s about the midterms. But I’ll say it. I’ll say it very, very, very soon. Much sooner than you probably think. “
There’s nothing left this evening. It doesn’t need more. The “MAGA” crowd knows it: their “King” will not disappoint them. After all, the show must go on.