Several hundred supporters of former president Donald Trump lined up for a rally on Saturday in Ohio, his first since the deadly attack on the US Capitol, as he aims to bolster allies, berate his enemies and cement his influence over the Republican Party.
While Trump has made speeches at Republican events since his election defeat by Democratic president Joe Biden, the rally in a state he carried in the 2020 election marks a return to the kind of freewheeling mass gatherings that have been critical to retaining the support of his base.
It also marks the start of his public events lashing out at elected Republicans who he views as having crossed him. He will campaign for former White House aide, Max Miller, who has launched a primary challenge against representative Anthony Gonzalez – one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Mr Trump on a charge of inciting the January 6th attack on the Capitol by his supporters, which left five dead including a Capitol police officer.
Trump has vowed to campaign against all 10. He has also endorsed a challenger to US senator Lisa Murkowski, the only one of the seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict him in his January impeachment trial, and who is up for re-election in 2022.
Democrats' razor-thin majorities in both chambers of Congress will be on the line in the 2022 midterm elections and history favours Republicans' chances of gaining seats in those contests.
The Ohio event, scheduled to start at 7pm (12am GMT) at a fairground in Wellington, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Cleveland, will be the first of three public appearances, followed by a trip to the US-Mexico border with Texas governor Greg Abbott on June 30th and a rally in Sarasota, Florida, on July 3rd.
‘Ohio Welcomes Trump’
By noon on Saturday, a long line of several hundred people had formed in a field in front of a jumbo screen that said: “Ohio Welcomes Donald J Trump”. Many wore hats and T-shirts calling for his return to the White House in 2024, and some wore slogans disparaging Mr Biden with expletives.
Supporters said they hoped Mr Trump would use such events to help unify the party behind like-minded candidates for Congress.
"Continuing these rallies is extremely important," said Jessica Dicken, a 30-year-old stay-at-home mom from southeast Ohio, adding Mr Trump could be "a voice for the more conservative movement here in Ohio and across the nation."
In a recent statement Mr Trump’s Save America PAC said the Ohio rally would be the first of a series of events “in support of candidates and causes that further the MAGA [make America great again] agenda and accomplishments” of the former Trump administration.
Trump is expected to criticise Biden for his handling of immigration, the economy and other key policy issues, while also repeating false claims that he lost the election due to widespread fraud. Those assertions have been resoundingly rejected by multiple courts, state election officials and members of Mr Trump’s own administration.
He has continued to feud with other senior Republicans. Mr Trump has lashed out at former vice-president Mike Pence, who he falsely claims could have stopped Congress from certifying Biden's victory on January 6th, as well as at Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell for calling Mr Trump "practically and morally responsible" for that day's violence.
Pence defended his actions in a Thursday speech at the Ronald Reagan library.
“There’s more at stake than our party and our political fortunes in this moment,” Pence said. “If we lose faith in the constitution, we won’t just lose elections – we’ll lose our country.”
False claims
Mr Trump's repeated false claims of election fraud have taken hold of Republican voters. Some 53 per cent of Republicans believe Mr Trump won the 2020 election and blame his loss on illegal voting, and a quarter of the overall public agreed that Mr Trump won, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
Wellington mayor Hans Schneider said he was told by organisers to expect between 10,000 and 20,000 people to attend the rally and that dozens of law enforcement officers will be brought in to help from surrounding areas.
Several Republicans running to replace US senator Rob Portman of Ohio, who is not seeking re-election in 2022, are angling to leverage the event for exposure.
Trump has not yet endorsed a candidate for the Senate seat and is not expected to do so on Saturday. Five candidates have formally declared for the race, including Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, Ohio Republican Party chairwoman Jane Timken and former state treasurer Josh Mandel.
Republican strategist Matt Dole said both Trump and those vying to stay close to him benefited from such public displays of bonhomie. Some of the candidates now seeking his endorsement have made disparaging comments about Trump in the past.
“These are marriages of convenience,” said Mr Dole, who is based in Ohio. “Donald Trump is using these opportunities to keep his name out there, to keep the base motivated.” – Reuters