There are thousands of them this Sunday, despite the heatwave which is raging in Las Vegas, to have made the trip to cheer the man whom they want more than anything to see return to the White House: Donald Trump, whose recent criminal conviction does not weigh not heavy here.
“I don’t care much about what happened at the trial, it doesn’t change anything, I will vote for him,” Lindsay Elliott, who came with her family to Sunset Park in the world’s gaming capital, told AFP. southwest United States.
The mother even thinks that the fact that the Republican was found guilty in a case of payments to a pornographic film star will “help” him in his campaign.
“Americans have had enough and they are angry,” she said.
Donald Trump is in Las Vegas for his first major meeting since the verdict in New York, because Nevada is one of the key states he will have to win to defeat Joe Biden and win the presidential election in November. A return match which promises to be close.
The billionaire, who turns 78 on Friday, can count on a base of loyal supporters, as illustrated by the queue that stretches for kilometers along Sunset Park to attend his meeting. Despite the 34°C recorded from 10:00 a.m.
– Catalyst process –
Lindsay’s daughter, Mackenzie, will vote for the first time in this election. She says she is “excited” to be there and convinced that Donald Trump emerges strengthened from his humiliating trial in New York.
“I think it will encourage more voters to go to the polls,” she predicts.
In the gathered crowd, many wear the traditional red of the Republican Party or the colors of the American flag.
Given the crowds, some are convinced that they have no chance of entering the meeting grounds. They therefore leave the queue, but remain in the surrounding park to listen to the broadcast on their phone.
This is the case for Anne, who came with a friend. “There are a lot of people, it’s positive,” says the woman, who says she is “surprised” by the crowd. She saw Donald Trump for the first time in person during his inauguration speech as president in Washington in 2017.
– Revealing trial –
Among these activists, the recent guilty verdict rendered against the former president is a powerful symbol of the drift of the United States.
“It breaks our hearts to see America going in this direction,” says Shay Chan, 25, at his first Trump campaign rally. “And it hurts not only Trump but all Americans. If it can happen to Trump, it can happen to anyone.”
Other spectators immediately put their hands in their pockets and responded to their mentor’s call. “I donated money to his campaign as soon as they gave the verdict,” says Beth Mathews, 72. Karen Hall, a woman from Chile, regrets not being able to vote because she is not a U.S. citizen.
However, she considers it important to be present this Sunday. “It makes me very sad that they are looking for any excuse to put him in prison and blame him for something that is wrong,” said this woman for whom uncontrolled immigration, according to her, was a determining factor in her support .
“I don’t like the chaos that exists. I’m an immigrant and I had to wait years to get my visa and arrive legally, and it bothers me that so many immigrants arrive illegally and pass as if nothing happened. was, it bothers me a lot, that’s why I support President Trump.”
Among the star products of the day, a t-shirt is selling out, which reads: “I vote for the delinquent”.
