Former President Donald Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, is hosting the first rally of his 2024 campaign in Waco, Texas, Saturday evening.
This is his first public appearance since announcing last weekend that he anticipates being arrested based on “illegal leaks” from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
The potential case stems from alleged hush money payments Trump allegedly made to Stormy Daniels as a presidential candidate in 2016. Many have questioned the standing of the case, including George Washington University Law Professor Jonathon Turley, who noted in an op-ed for the Hill that the Justice Department and prosecutors under Bragg’s predecessor previously opted not to pursue charges.
The rally also comes amid speculation about a potential White House bid from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who would likely be Trump’s most formidable primary opponent. Although DeSantis has consistently polled second to Trump in many hypothetical surveys featuring deeper primary fields, the gap between the two has begun to widen in the latest polls from McLaughlin & Associates, Monmouth University, and Morning Consult as he falls and Trump climbs.
