Trump indictment: Will Volusia County stand behind former president?
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In the days since the unprecedented news of Tuesday’s expected indictment of former President Donald Trump, there have been few, if any, obvious signs of protest on the streets of Volusia County.
No flag-toting, sign-waving crowds of Trump fans convened over the weekend in the usual gathering spots along the major bridges from the mainland from Port Orange to Ormond Beach, or clustered next to the busy West Volusia intersection of Saxon Boulevard and Enterprise Road in Orange City.
Although that could change as Tuesday’s events unfold, the public reaction so far has been quiet.
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Yet Trump supporters remain steadfast, based on the passionate opinions of the weekend dinner crowd at the DeBary Diner, a popular longtime restaurant known for its conservative political mindset.
Here’s a look at what Trump supporters there are saying, as well as an overview of how Tuesday’s events are expected to unfold for the ex-president, who is reportedly preparing to make the most of the event’s potential to put him in the media spotlight.
'Everyone has been glued to the TV'
At DeBary Diner, in the DeBary Commons shopping plaza at the corner of Highbanks Road and U.S. Highway 17-92, Trump’s indictment has been the big topic of conversation since the news broke late last week, said owner Angie Ugarte.
“Are you kidding me?” Ugarte said. “Everyone has been glued to the TV. We all knew it was coming.”
Diner doesn't shy away from politics
The DeBary Diner trumpeted its conservative viewpoint in 2021 in the wake of President Joe Biden's handling of the end of the war in Afghanistan and the deaths of 13 service members in a suicide bombing, posting a sign on its front door telling Biden supporters that they should take their business elsewhere.
From 2021: Angered over 'inept' Afghanistan exit, DeBary Diner tells Biden supporters to go elsewhere
“If you voted for and continue to support and stand behind the worthless, inept and corrupt administration currently inhabiting the White House that is complicit in the death of our servicemen and women in Afghanistan, please take your business elsewhere,” the sign stated. “God bless America and God bless our soldiers."
Trump supporters blast indictment as 'political persecution'
The sign has since been taken down, but the diner’s décor is still proudly plastered with red, white and blue exhortations to support the troops. In a packed house for weekend dinner rush, MAGA hats and Trump T-shirts were often the accessory of choice.
Like most of her customers, Ugarte is critical of the move to indict the former president on charges related to hush money payments to two women who claimed to have had affairs with him.
“Political persecution is what it is,” she said. “It’s personal. They are trying to find a way so he can’t run in 2024.”
Supporter: Indictment could turn Trump into a martyr
Nearby, that opinion was echoed by restaurant customer Mark Carstens, 44, of Orange City, sporting a baseball cap emblazoned with “Trump: Save America 2024.”
“It’s very unfair,” Carstens said. “The DA (New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg) is just trying to make a name for himself. You ever heard of Moby Dick? Trump is their White Whale.”
Carstens also believes that the indictment ultimately will improve Trump’s political fortunes as a 2024 presidential candidate.
“He’ll be elevated into being almost a martyr,” he said. “Before, he was just a president, but now he’ll be elevated to a Martin Luther King status or something like that.”
Trump fan: Indictment work of 'elitists trying to control the country'
At another table, Trump supporter Ronn Edmunds, 65, said that political observers shouldn’t read too much into the lack of local public demonstrations in support of Trump, who beat Biden in Volusia County in the November 2020 election by a margin of 56.4% to 42.4%, according to Volusia County Supervisor of Elections data.
“His base has strengthened,” said Edmunds, who lives in South Daytona. “It’s stronger now than ever.”
Edmunds characterized the indictment as the work of “elitists trying to control the country, to turn it into a Communist nation. I’m afraid that MAGA supporters are being pushed into something they (the elitists) want to happen, a violent reaction. That’s why they went after Trump right now. They’re hoping for a violent reaction.”
What are Trump's plans?
The former president — accompanied by his Secret Service detail — plans to travel at midday Monday from his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach to New York City, according to Trump’s posts on his Truth Social website. He is scheduled to spend the night at his long-owned apartment in Trump Tower in Manhattan, according to aides.
In addition to an evening speech Tuesday from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida — hours after the arraignment in New York City — Trump and aides plan to constantly condemn the indictment and promote his 2024 presidential candidacy during his travels to and from the courthouse.
Polls show divide on Trump indictment
In an ABC News/Ipsos poll released nationally on Sunday: 88% of Democrats say Trump should have been charged, while 62% of Republicans say the former president should not have been charged.
The poll also shows that a plurality of Americans is taking the indictment seriously: 50% of Americans think the charges against Trump are serious, while 35% say they are not serious.
Political expert: Indictment could work in Trump's favor, for now
For now, the indictment could work in Trump’s favor politically, said Aubrey Jewett, associate professor and assistant director of the School of Politics, Security and International Affairs at the University of Central Florida.
“In the short run, I think it will help with his poll ratings and fundraising,” Jewett said. “In the longer run, the impact remains to be seen. A number of Republicans have rallied around (former) President Trump in last few weeks. The bottom line is that much of the Republican base still really likes Trump. A large swath of Republican base views this indictment as a partisan political stunt.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Trump indictment: Will Volusia supporters stay loyal?
