Trump forced to CANCEL North Carolina rally by thunderstorm, sending thousands of people home: After week stuck in court now the weather conspires to keep former president from campaigning
After a week of being held in court Donald Trump planned to let loose in front of thousands of adoring fans in North Carolina on Saturday.
But warnings of severe thunderstorms forced him to cancel the Wilmington rally at the last minute, sending thousands of disappointed supporters home as conditions became too dangerous.
Instead of protesting for 90 minutes against New York prosecutors, election interference and Joe Biden, Trump delivered a one-minute audio message telling people to leave.
“It’s a danger to all of this,” he said in a message played over the public address system. “And we want to make sure everyone is safe
“And so they asked us to ask people to leave the site and seek shelter.”
Thousands of people gathered to hear Donald Trump at his first rally since the “hush money” trial began in New York on Monday. But it was postponed with minutes to spare
Disappointed supporters went home but said safety had to come first
He was scheduled to take the stage at 7 p.m. for his first meeting since the hush money trial began in New York.
But as the sky grew darker by the minute and the open-air rally site was littered with cranes that would act as lightning magnets, it was decided to cancel the rally.
Flashes of lightning could be seen in the distance.
Trump said he was “devastated” but would get back to him soon.
“We’ll just have to do a rain check,” he said as people began streaming toward the exits. “I’m so sad… They say the weather is getting really, really bad.”
The timing couldn’t have been worse. He spent the week in Courtroom 1530 of Manhattan Criminal Court like a caged animalwho could only express his anger in short bursts at the injustice of it all.
On Saturday he would break loose in front of an adoring rally crowd.
The meeting was intended to be his first since the start of his criminal “hush money” trial in New York.
And the location was also a reminder of how the 2024 elections will play out through the southern swing state of North Carolina. Trump won the state last time by just 1.5 points over President Joe Biden.
The scene earlier as supporters braved temperatures in the 80s
But with less than half an hour to go before kickoff, Trump announced he would postpone
Trump held a fundraising event in Charlotte earlier in the day, where aides said he raised $6 million. He said he was devastated that he had to cancel
People head for the exit after hearing Trump’s message canceling the rally
Fans headed to the airport tarmac at 3 p.m., hoping to find the best spot to see the former president before the event was canceled
There were sellers of hats, flags and T-shirts in the parking lot outside the rally location
Trump took to Truth Social in the hours before the rally to berate prosecutors and judges
Before the meeting was halted, Trump was preparing for his second visit in the past two months.
Supporters said they were bitterly disappointed when they left, but that safety had to come first.
“I’m on the next one,” said Cletus Leppo, who worked for the post office before retiring.
For now, his focus is on the case unfolding in Judge Juan Merchan’s court, where he is accused of tampering with business documents to conceal hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign.
Trump denies all allegations.
But he is also under scrutiny for public statements and social media posts attacking people linked to the case.
A gag order from March prevents him from making public statements about witnesses and their possible explanations, as well as about prosecutors, court staff and their relatives if his words are intended to disrupt the case.
(District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the judge are not covered by the order.
Prosecutors allege he has violated the order several times.
By the end of the week, a twelve-member jury had been selected.
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A large portion of people in Wilmington said they had barely been paying attention. The solution was in, they said.
“I didn’t bother to look at it,” says George Kopek, 82, who now lives next to a golf course after a life in sales, and whose nose has the sun scars to prove it. “I have to play a lot of golf.”
Former US President Donald Trump became the first former president to stand trial when a jury was sworn in in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday afternoon
He spent four days of the week in court and could only address the media during breaks
The full jury in the Trump trial has been selected. Twelve Manhattan residents will decide whether he is guilty or not guilty and six alternates will act as backup
The trial of a former president is unprecedented in American history. The fact that Trump is the future Republican nominee and is leading Biden in the national polls makes it all the more extraordinary.
Trump has repeatedly claimed he is the victim of a political witch hunt and election interference.
On Saturday, he continued his argument with a Truth Social post, hours before he was scheduled to appear, asking why the case had not been prosecuted eight years ago.
“Instead, they waited and put it in the middle of my presidential campaign against the worst and most incompetent president ever, corrupt Joe Biden,” he said.
“It is presided over by possibly the most conflicted judge in the history of the legal system, who must be immediately removed from this hoax.”