CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —Supporters of former President Donald Trump opposed the idea of any other Republican candidate running for the White House in 2024.
Attendees at Trump’s Save America rally in Robstown, Texas, Saturday evening agreed that no other conservative politician could compare to Trump, who was twice impeached by the House before leaving office.
From vendors selling merchandise at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds to ardent supporters at the front of the admission line, Trump supporters overwhelmingly said they want him to run again and would not consider possible contenders, including Govs. Greg Abbott of Florida or Ron DeSantis of Florida, as well as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
“He better run or he will let my heart down and a lot of other Americans’ hearts down if he don’t [sic] run,” said Antoine Williams of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who has followed Trump around as a merchandise vendor since his campaign launched in 2015. “I don’t care who goes against Trump. If they’re against Trump, they’re against me.”
ARIZONA SUES BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OVER BORDER WALL: ‘WE’RE NOT BACKING DOWN’
Williams’s top concern heading into the midterm elections is inflation, which he said greatly impacts him.
“Inflation, I mean hell, get the economy back running,” he said. “The middle class is now becoming the poorer, you know, the lower, bottom class.”
Antoine Williams of Tulsa, OK, has been following Trump around as a merch vendor at campaign rallies since 2015.
He supports Trump and said inflation is his biggest concern headed into the midterms — that it’s “extremely” impacted the business. pic.twitter.com/2D46uMmXvy
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) October 22, 2022
Kelly Brown, a single, unemployed mother, drove through the night from Dallas and arrived at the fairgrounds at 5 a.m. local time, she told the Washington Examiner while standing a dozen spots from the front of the admission line. Brown has followed Trump around the country, traveling to Arizona, South Carolina, and Wyoming to see him speak at rallies. She is most concerned about abortion, from a pro-life perspective, as well as eradicating human trafficking.
Asked if Trump should run in 2024, Brown said she would “definitely” pick Trump but added that she believed “an even better candidate than Trump” would emerge before the next presidential election.
“One of the Kennedys. The former President [John F.] Kennedy or John F. Kennedy, Jr., and I believe they’re both still alive,” said Brown, who identified as a member of 48Negative, a shoot-off of conspiracy group QAnon.
Darryl Brown drove 14 hours from Nashville to make it to Robstown early Saturday. He expects Trump will cooperate with the Jan. select committee, which subpoenaed him to appear at the U.S. Capitol.
Although Brown supports Trump, he does not believe he will run in 2024 because presidents are not allowed to seek a third term. He contended that Trump was the winner of the 2020 presidential election and is unofficially serving a second term, though President Joe Biden is in the White House.
“Trump’s not going to run for president. Trump’s our president right now,” said Brown. “We can’t be a country until our elections have integrity.”
Mother-daughter duo Ann Hoseg and Shree Kemp came together and got spots standing behind seated attendees. Hoseg has lived in Robstown her whole life and is most concerned about the economy and state of the southern border.
“We need Trump,” said Hoseg. “The rest of the world is afraid of Trump, and he is someone who’s got the strength and we need to get our country back. We’re lost.”
Hoseg is not opposed to DeSantis but wants him to run as Trump’s partner..
Kemp has supported Trump since 2016 and still likes him because he is not a politician.
“He speaks his mind, and I think that’s what we need. We need somebody that’s going to get it done and not be afraid,” said Kemp, who added that Abbott may not be the right fit for the country as a whole.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“He’s good for Texas, but I don’t know that he’s good for the nation,” she added.
