Key Moments From Donald Trump’s Waco Rally

Donald Trump took a defiant stance at a rally in Waco, Texas, on Saturday, as he faces a potential indictment.

The former president could be indicted soon by a Manhattan grand jury investigating a hush money payment that his longtime lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, made to porn star Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Speaking at his first rally of his 2024 presidential campaign at the Waco Regional Airport, Trump disparaged the prosecutors investigating him and also hit out repeatedly at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—who is widely viewed as the strongest challenger for the GOP nomination, although he has yet to formally announce a 2024 presidential bid.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Waco Regional Airport on March 25, 2023 in Waco, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Trump said on Saturday that his “enemies are desperate to stop us” and that “our opponents have done everything they can to crush our spirit and to break our will.”

He added: “But they failed. They’ve only made us stronger. And 2024 is the final battle, it’s going to be the big one. You put me back in the White House, their reign will be over and America will be a free nation once again.”

Here, Newsweek rounds up some key moments from Trump’s speech.

‘Vindicated and proud’

Trump’s speech framed the investigations into him, including the New York grand jury investigation, as political attacks on him and his followers.

“When this election is over, I will be the President of the United States. You will be vindicated and proud,” Trump told his supporters.

“And the thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited, and totally disgraced.”

‘Most innocent man in the history of our country’

Trump said he was completely blameless as he spoke about the various investigations into him.

“After going over 11 million pages of documents, I built a great company, they’ve got nothing, they’ve got nothing,” he said.

“And my tax returns on top of it, and they’re a big return. It probably makes me the most innocent man in the history of our country. Friends of mine say that.”

‘They took the word of a proven liar’

Cohen reportedly made a $130,000 payment to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, through a shell company to keep her from going public about a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump years earlier.

Trump reimbursed Cohen and his company logged the reimbursements as a legal expense. Cohen has already served time in prison after pleading guilty to campaign finance charges and lying to Congress, among other crimes.

On Saturday, Trump called Cohen “a proven liar, a convicted felon, and a disbarred lawyer.”

“They took the word of a proven liar, a convicted felon, and a disbarred lawyer. All the same person believe it or not,” he said.

“Over some of the most respected and prestigious people in the country and in New York City, some of the most respected lawyers testifying against.”

‘Horse Face’

Trump also again referred to Daniels as “horse face.”

The remark came as Trump said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was investigating him “for something that is not a crime, not a misdemeanor, not an affair.”

He added: “I never liked horse face. I never liked… that’s terrible. That wouldn’t be the one. There is no one. We have a great first lady.”

Attacks on DeSantis

Trump criticized the Florida governor several times during his speech, describing his former ally as disloyal and taking credit for his victory in the 2018 Florida governor’s race.

He said DeSantis came to him with “tears in his eyes,” begging him for an endorsement.

“He gets the nomination because of you. He wins the election because of you,” Trump said. “Two years later, the fake news is up there saying, ‘Will you run against the president? Will you run?’ And he says, ‘I have no comment.’ I say, that’s not supposed to happen… So I’m not a big fan.”

He also said Florida had been “tremendously successful” long before DeSantis became governor.