Thousands of Trump supporters rally in West Palm Beach as former president touts Republican lead

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump fired up thousands of his supporters at a club event Wednesday in West Palm Beach, touting how he’s the front-runner in the Republican 2024 presidential race.

“We’re up,” he boasted Wednesday night. “Everyone knows what the result is going to be.”

Trump spoke to a group of hardcore loyalists known as Club 47 USA, drawing a spirited crowd of nearly 4,000 supporters to the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

Trump fans showed up early and en masse to see their political hero.

He was supposed to take the stage at 7 p.m. but was running late. By 7:55 p.m., the crowd was still waiting. While they waited, some supporters took selfies with the stage in the background. Others stood on the backs of chairs to get a better view of the stage.

One woman walked by the media section and shouted “Fake news!,” a common refrain made popular by Trump. Another group in the crowd began chanting “USA! USA! USA!”

Vero Beach resident Sandra Rivera told a South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter she backs Trump all the way.

“All of those guys should jump out of the race and let Trump have it,” she said of the others making a run for president. “They can’t compete with Trump. You have to talk about the issues that are out there. The biggest issue right now is having that border.”

Rivera described the many indictments Trump is facing as a political witch hunt. “They do not want Trump to take over the White House in 2024,” she said. “Right now Trump is the leading candidate and they’re trying to bankrupt him, they’re trying to do everything possible to keep him from running for president.”

Still the front-runner

Trump, who has a commanding lead as front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, has already seized on the escalating war in Israel to put the spotlight on what he called the incompetence of President Joe Biden, lambasting him for everything from his immigration policies to his unsteady gait and confusion on stage.

Trump took aim at Biden again on Wednesday, calling him the country’s weakest president ever.

“Under my leadership the world was peaceful and calm,” Trump said. “They were afraid of America. Today they laugh at America … because the occupant of the White House is a laughingstock. We have a man who is grossly incompetent. Can’t put two sentences together.”

During a campaign event in New Hampshire on Monday, Trump blamed Biden for the surprise attack by Hamas on Israel over the weekend and warned of the “very, very grave danger” of a World War III.

Hamas staged a deadly attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip over the weekend, prompting the Israeli government to declare war. More than 2,300 people have been killed on both sides and the conflict is expected to soon escalate into a ground war.

“The state of Israel is a blessing,” Trump said during his Wednesday night speech. “Our prayers are with them now. Under my leadership, we will stand with Israel 100% and we will not let them fail.”

Biden has made it clear that the U.S. stands with Israel.

“Israel has the right to defend itself and its people, full stop,” he said over the weekend. “There’s never a justification for terrorist attacks and my administration’s support for Israeli’s security is rock solid and unwavering.’’

But Biden has come under attack for a $6 billion deal he made with Iran to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets in exchange for a prisoner swap that secured the release of five U.S. citizens being held hostage.

Trump blasts Biden

After Trump took office in 2017, he launched a ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

This week, he vowed to reimpose a travel ban on people coming from predominantly Muslim countries if he wins reelection next year. Biden reversed the ban shortly after taking office. Trump claimed that “tens of thousands of probable terrorists” had entered the U.S. since the travel ban was lifted.

Club 45 USA began in 2018 as a fan club for Trump, the nation’s 45th president, and to help prepare for the 2020 election. The club has since been renamed Club 47 USA. If Trump were to win the presidency in 2024, he would be the 47th president.

The club’s website describes its members as being “PROUD to be ULTRA-MAGA.”

Shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday, a line with hundreds of Trump supporters wrapped through the parking garage of the convention center. Many donned cowboy hats and shirts with images of the American flag.

‘Make America first’

Boca Raton resident Laraine Abbey, 78, said if Trump were still in office the war in Israel wouldn’t be escalating.

Several others in the crowd echoed that opinion.

Abbey said she’s well aware of Trump’s “imperfections,” but remains an avid supporter of his policies.

“I can’t understand how anyone wouldn’t say, ‘Make America first,’” she said.

Pam Uhrina, of Indianapolis, and Peg Zuniga, of Maryland, traveled all the way to Florida for the speech. They wore matching shirts that depicted Trump as a matador riding a bull.

“We’re fighting for our kids and grandkids,” Uhrina said. “That’s why we’re here.”

Both women said they think Trump could have stopped the war in Israel.

As for news of Trump’s indictments, Uhrina said conservatives see it as election interference.

“I think it’s so obvious what they’re doing,” Uhrina said. “I think anybody that’s conservative, we know that. We’re going to support him no matter what.”

Mark Smith and wife, Carol Smith, drove down from Jupiter for the event.

They’ve been members of Club 47 since it was Club 45 and have been to local events at Mar-a-Lago and rallies in other parts of the state.

‘He’s 100% American’

Mark Smith said he’s a small-business owner, and that’s one reason he backs Trump.

“He’s for America,” he said. “He’s 100% American. He’s for America, by America. I think the (presidential) campaign — it’s like a bunch of monkeys fighting over a banana. In the Republican Party, they’re fighting each other instead of finding one goal and working toward that goal.”

One example of that infighting was the recent ouster of McCarthy, Smith said.

“The Republican Party needs to come together as a team,” he said.

Early in the evening, an announcer with the Right Side Broadcasting Network — the conservative media company live streaming the event — delivered the news that one of Trump’s most vocal allies, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, would not make it because of the ongoing debate in Washington over who will take over as the next House Speaker. But in the end, he did make it and got an introduction from Trump himself shortly after 8 p.m.

Last week, Gaetz orchestrated the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy arranging a vote through a “motion to vacate.” Gaetz and his Republican allies targeted McCarthy after he worked with Democrats to prevent a shutdown of the federal government.

South Florida native Angelo Cornacchia says he backs Trump because he lived up to the promises he made.

“Promises kept,” he said. “The man kept his promises.”

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