Let the final battle begin

Not once has Donald Trump veered from his core campaign theme

- Robert Reich

Recall the first rally of his 2024 election campaign on March 25, in Waco, Texas — exactly 30 years after a deadly siege between law enforcement and the Branch Davidians resulted in the deaths of more than 80 members of that religious cult and four federal agents.

It opened with a choir of men imprisoned for their role in the Jan. 6 insurrection singing “Justice for All,” intercut with the national anthem and with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance with his hand on his heart. Behind, on big screens, was footage from the Capitol riot.

Trump then repeated his bogus claim that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged.” He praised the rioters of Jan. 6.

He raged against the prosecutors overseeing multiple investigations into his conduct as “absolute human scum.” He told the crowd that “the thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited, and totally disgraced.”

He then declared:

“Our enemies are desperate to stop us, and our opponents have done everything they can to crush our spirit and to break our will. But they failed. They’ve only made us stronger. And 2024 is the final battle; it’s going to be the big one. You put me back in the White House, their reign will be over, and America will be a free nation once again.”