Less than a week after the latest indictment against him, former U.S. President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump drew so many supporters at his appearance in New Hampshire on Tuesday that the secret service turned hundreds away.
One agent told The Epoch Times that the event inside the Windham High High School had hit its 2,000 capacity a little after 1:30 p.m., about 60 minutes before President Trump was even scheduled to speak.
Most that didn’t make it inside remained outside on-site, listening to a broadcast of President Trump’s speech on their cellphones.
Among those were Jason Romblad and Karen Johnson, who drove all the way up from Rhode Island with hopes of attending President Trump’s speech.
“I kind of figured it was going to be like this after the indictment,” said Mr. Romblad.
The couple was carrying a “Trump won” sign, making clear how they felt about the recent indictments accusing the former president of interfering with the 2020 presidential elections.
But both said indictments and even the allegations against current President Joe Biden are not what’s mostly behind their unwavering support for President Trump.
Ms. Johnson said she lost her longtime job as a nurse under the Biden administration for refusing the COVID vaccine, something she believes would never happen under a Trump administration.
“I want a president who represents me,” said Ms. Johnson. “I feel like everyone else in this race is fake about that.”
She and Mr. Romblad met in 2022 at the People’s Convoy in Washington, D.C., a protest by truckers from around the nation against COVID mandates.
Others in the outside crowd included Alfonso Garcia and his wife, who said more on their mind is the way President Biden is flooding the country with illegal immigrants and putting U.S. citizens second to them.
Donning President Trump’s signature red “Make America Great Again Hats,” the Windham couple talked with The Epoch Times about how they legally immigrated to America 30 years ago, hoping for a better democratic system. They said they found it in the United States but feel it has disappeared under the Biden administration.
“We now have third-world countries that have a better democracy than here,” said Mr. Garcia. “Other countries are laughing at us for what we are doing to ourselves.”
Mr. Garcia and his wife told The Epoch Times that, if anything, the round of indictments against Mr. Trump has only strengthened their support for him.
Standing nearby the Garcias was Frani Lucas, who drove up from Beverly, Massachusetts for a chance to see President Trump talk. She also told The Epoch Times that the indictments have only strengthened her support for President Trump.
Mrs. Lucas and others also agreed with Trump supporters who recently indicated in a poll commissioned by the New Hampshire Journal that they would vote for President Trump even if he were sent to prison.
“We are in a time where we have to be brave enough to stand up for what’s right,” said Mrs. Lucas.
In The New Hampshire Journal survey, 62 percent of those surveyed said they would vote for President Trump over President Biden even if convicted of a felony, and 57 percent said they would vote for him even if he were behind bars on election day.
Bobby Loree and Marcia Dolgin, both friends from Danville, New Hampshire, who were also among those who didn’t make it inside to hear President Trump’s speech, said that they believe the aggressive campaign to jail President Trump could end up leading to criminal charges against past presidents and other political officials.
Trump supporters Marcia Dolgin, Frani Lucas, Bobby Loree, and others get ready to watch the motorcade of the former president and current presidential candidate pass by following his speech in Windham, N.H. on Tuesday Alice Giordano
“Indictments lead to discovery,” said Ms. Dolgin. She and Mr. Loree believes President Trump’s indictments may resurface past incidents such as former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s email controversy and classified documents her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was found to have been keeping in his sock drawer.
Trump’s 1 Hour Speech
At times, during President Trump’s one-hour speech in New Hampshire, the crowd became so charged that when they briefly chanted “USA” in response to comments made by President Trump, it could be heard by the crowd outside.Following his speech, the inside crowd poured into the outside crowd, and together they lined the long and winding driveway of the Windham High School for a chance to wave to him as his motorcade passed. It took nearly an hour to clear the crowd completely.
There was a small group of six or seven Trump protesters at the entrance holding signs accusing President Trump of being a rapist and liar. They all identified themselves to The Epoch Times as staunch supporters of President Biden.
Former U.S. President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives to speak during a campaign rally at Windham High School in Windham, N.H, on Aug. 8, 2023. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
It was President Trump’s second public appearance since he was indicted last week on allegations he tried to interfere with the 2020 election results.
He appeared in South Carolina Sunday night, like New Hampshire, another battleground state.
The indictment was the third against the former president.
President Trump is facing a potential fourth indictment in Georgia. This one would accuse him of trying to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis leads the crusade to levy a fourth indictment against President Trump. She recently announced that she would have a decision by September in a year-long investigation by her office into President Trump’s then claim that President Biden should not be certified as the winner of Georgia’s presidential election.
In what was his second indictment, President Trump was accused of illegally keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
The first indictment against Trump came from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office on charges he falsified business records relating to the alleged hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
President Trump is the first American president, current and former, ever to be indicted.
