SHOW LOW, Ariz.—Kari Lake, an Arizona Republican and U.S. Senate candidate, said it would take “all hands on deck” to stand up against what she views as a political establishment that spent nearly a decade working to undermine President Donald Trump.
“They have been attacking this man for eight solid years. They’ve been going after his family,” Ms. Lake told a standing-room audience during a campaign swing at The Trump Store in Show Low on May 31.
On May 30, a jury in Manhattan found Mr. Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying documents related to alleged payments he made to silence porn star Stormy Daniels.
“Can you imagine [Mr. Trump’s trial] happening in New York City right now with all of these illegals pouring into that city as a sanctuary city?” Ms. Lake said.
“And what are they prosecuting? A bogus, made-up bookkeeping dispute. That’s what they spent six weeks prosecuting. Not the murders. Not the rapes. Not the attacks on the subway. Who’s losing out right now? It’s We The People who are losing out.”
Ms. Lake had two words to describe the jury verdict: “Horrible. Unbelievable.”
“Actually, I wish it were totally unbelievable. I actually kind of saw it coming with the direction we’ve been going,” Ms. Lake said.
“His family’s been dragged through the mud. I’m not here to defend him—I’m here because he’s fighting for us. I don’t want that happening to any of you. I guess I do defend him, because you know what? I’ve never seen a man who’s more willing to fight for this country than President Trump.”
Ms. Lake asked, “Can you imagine, day after day after day—it’s not just local news. It’s worldwide news attacking him. People are waking up to it, and they’re turning off the news.
“All they wanted to say was ‘convicted felon.’ They were willing to put our judicial system through all of this. They were willing to trample on our judicial system, our court system.”
Ms. Lake is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in the Nov. 5 general election.
In 2022, Ms. Lake ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor with President Trump’s endorsement against former Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, despite Ms. Lake enjoying a 15-point lead in several polls.
The general election became mired in controversy following a massive failure of ballot counting machines and printers in multiple voter precincts and Ms. Lake’s allegations of election fraud.
Ms. Lake accused the legacy media of working to undermine President Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign throughout the six-week trial.
“They’re going to ramp it up and see what sticks. You saw the headline—‘ Guilty. Convicted felon,’” Ms. Lake said. “That’s what they’re trying to get. They’re trying to get us to [abandon] the one guy who has been fighting for us.
“They’re going to say everything.”
Arizona Sen. Wendy Rogers, a Republican, said she attended the rally in her district in Show Low to support Ms. Lake for U.S. Senate.
“This is the part of the country that loves Trump, loves Kari,” said Ms. Rogers, who supports an election integrity bill pending in the state Senate, including a May 29 House Committee report recommending impeachment of Arizona Attorney General Kristen Mayes, a Democrat.
The 102-page report alleges that Ms. Mayes abused her power to attack her political opponents, used her position to advance a political agenda, and refused to uphold state laws.
Regarding the jury verdict in Manhattan, Ms. Rogers believes the six-week trial was a “sham” and an example of “weaponized government.”
“I think more people are waking up. They know that President Trump stands in the breach for us, and they’re coming for us,” Ms. Rogers told The Epoch Times.
“This is what happens. They put targets over those of us who are strong and unflinching and stand up.”
The senator said she does not see America’s 45th president serving time in jail.
“I don’t. But if he does, he can still be sworn in from jail. People think they have him cornered; his poll numbers go up. It’s the darnedest thing. He will never give up.”
Ms. Lake said the battle is not Democrat versus Republican, Left versus Right, but how “we are going to push back against this monarchy—which is really globalism.”
She said many Democrat voters realize the party has swung too far left and are ready to support President Trump.
“What you see has been replaced with communism. It’s time to come on over,” she said. “People are ready to get back to our roots—our Bill of Rights—our freedom. This is about being American,” said Ms. Lake.
“It’s going to take all hands on deck to save this country. Everyone is suffering. Democrats are suffering. Independents are suffering. Let’s start talking to our neighbors.”
