The day after President Biden collapsed during Thursday’s prime-time debate, Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia stood alongside former President Donald J. Trump on a Chesapeake farm, gushing.
“This is the best Trump rally ever!”
In the past, when it suited him, Mr. Youngkin kept his distance from Mr. Trump and his erratic behavior.
Not now. Not with all these victories ahead.
“Hello, Virginia,” Mr. Trump cooed as he took the stage in front of thousands of his supporters in what Republicans increasingly view as a winnable state. “Has anyone watched the so-called debate?” » He roared: “It was a great debate. A.”
On the surface, the Chesapeake rally was a quick victory lap after the debate and before the 2024 race kicks into high gear.
“The Democrats are in big trouble, so I feel pretty good today,” said Jason Alter, 35, a Miami dentist.
But behind the jubilation, there was a slight panic. It was the kind of panic you sometimes feel when everything in life seems to be going…a little too well.
Throughout Mr. Trump’s comeback campaign, his supporters repeated to anyone who would listen that Mr. Biden was nothing more than the tool of a shadowy power that would push him, at the right time, to insert a more formidable candidate. Today, according to them, it is precisely this plot that is being played out before the eyes of the nation.
“We all suspected it,” said Phil Capron, 40, a Virginia Beach resident and real estate investor. “And now that’s the official story that all major media outlets are running. »
Suspicions began to circulate on Friday. “They did this to get him out,” said Tara Silvasy, 55, a FEMA contractor.
But who are these “they”? “The party,” she says simply.
Never one to shrug off a spidery conspiracy theory, Mr. Trump seemed as panicked as any of his supporters about what may, just may, be going on.
“A lot of people are saying that after last night’s performance, Joe Biden is leaving the race,” he said from the stage, followed by scattered and apparently confused applause. “The fact is, I don’t really believe him,” he continued, “because he’s performing better in the polls than any of the Democrats they’re talking about. Did you see that, Glenn?
Mr. Trump spent the next few minutes explaining to his supporters why the alternatives to Mr. Biden are actually weaker. He said Gov. Gavin Newsom “can’t run California,” and the crowd booed. He mentioned Vice President Kamala Harris and the crowd booed louder. “That could have been Joe Biden’s best decision, to nominate his vice president, because nobody wants that. I would be very happy.
Then he added: “Did they poll Michelle Obama? She polls very poorly. She polls terribly.” The crowd stood eerily still. No one seemed to believe it—least of all Mr. Trump, even though the words were coming out of his own mouth. “It’s hard to believe,” he said, pausing. “But crooked Joe Biden polls better than these people.”
All of this was somewhat thwarted by the fact that, in another part of his same speech, Mr. Trump told them that pollsters should never be trusted.
“Michelle Obama would be an interesting choice,” said Mr. Capron, wearing a T-shirt that read “Alex Jones Was Right.” “I think she would garner broad support. A lot of people really liked the Obama years.”
Ms Silvasy said: “Unfortunately, I think it will be Gavin Newsom.”
Mr. Alter, the Miami dentist, feared the same thing. “Yes, that would make me very nervous. I hope Joe is too stubborn and stays on the ticket and thinks he can win.
What earned Mr. Trump the biggest applause Friday had nothing to do with the debate or Mr. Biden’s slip-up; it was his reference to the Supreme Court’s ruling that day, which found that prosecutors had overstepped their authority in the way they charged some members of the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “These people were treated so badly,” Mr. Trump said. “They should be released immediately, the J6 hostages.”
The next morning, Mr. Trump tried to limit the damage — to his opponent. He posted a message on Truth Social on Saturday about Mr. Biden, saying that “his speech on Friday was better and he seems to be coming out of his trance.”
But in Chesapeake, he finally talked with his loyalists about the coming battle. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he finally acknowledged. “I have absolutely no idea.”
News Source : www.nytimes.com
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