Via/ABC
Donald Trump appeared a “snarling and swearing man” who “jumped back into the ring” at a Las Vegas rally over the weekend, following a court case that left him “angrier and meaner,” according to an expert. The former President held his rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday, just days after nearly a dozen of his supporters were hospitalized due to extreme heat at a similar event in Arizona.
This time, there were more medical staff and water available, and Trump’s supporters were allowed to bring umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun as temperatures soared above 100°F. Fresh off his conviction for falsifying business records related to the 2016 hush money deal with adult film star Stormy Daniels, Trump addressed his MAGA fans in the crucial swing state.
He singled out one supporter he called “front row Joe,” before telling the enthusiastic crowd “that it would be suicide before Biden.” Trump continued his speech with several false claims, stating his campaign had raised “hundreds of millions of dollars” post-conviction when, in fact, it was only $53 million. He also suggested bridges would collapse under the weight of electric vehicles as Biden promotes a switch to electric in the US.
He criticized President Biden’s executive order, labeling it “pro-invasion, pro-child trafficking, pro-women trafficking, pro-human trafficking and pro-drug dealers.” “It’s weak and ineffective; it’s bulls— what he signed,” he added. Supporters quickly picked up on the swear word and began chanting it back at Trump.
The Trump presented in Las Vegas appeared vastly different from the one seen in the courtroom in recent months. While he was often seen sitting with his shoulders slumped despite a defiant glare into photographers’ lenses, he appeared “revitalized” at this rally, almost “conducting” his crowd of supporters, according to body language expert Judi James.
Speaking to The Mirror, she shared: “You’d miss the fact that Trump has any filter or frills to his speeches until they drop off as they do here. Tie-less and charm-less he presents as an angry, snarling, and swearing man, aiming his anger at both Biden and even the sound man whose mics aren’t loud enough for his liking.”
“The crowd chant his swear word now rather than his MAGA mantra, seeming to share his anger. If anything, Trump looks revitalized after the time spent in the courtroom. He speaks quickly, with words and lines on repeat, looking and sounding keen to voice his anger as loudly and speedily as possible.”
Judi remarked on Trump’s demeanor, comparing it to his courtroom appearance: “This looks like the baleful version of Trump, the one we saw in the courtroom, only now he’s able to verbalize his thoughts. His shoulders bristle and rotate and his lower jaw protrudes. His shoulders are hunched, and when he turns to look at the chanting crowd behind him, he throws his hands up and out, almost as though conducting them.”
Trump took the stage as “God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood played, with lyrics such as “But I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free,” which has become one of his signature songs of the campaign trail. As his hordes of supporters chanted “USA, USA, USA” loudly in the background, Trump aimed his anger at the event’s sound team, saying: “Tell them to make the microphone louder. It’s terrible,” before swatting away what was assumed to be their response.
Addressing the audience, Trump aired his grievances about the technical difficulties: “He [someone on the tech team] just came up, ‘Oh the teleprompter’s not working’ not even a little bit, great job. And then I don’t pay the company that does it. And then I end up with a story ‘Trump doesn’t pay.’ I don’t pay contractors that do a s—ty job and that’s a s—ty job. That’s a s—ty job. You can’t read a word, but you know what, it usually ends up that the speech is better, it’s crazy.”
Judi observed the former president’s demeanor, remarking: “When the mic isn’t working perfectly, he addresses the sound guy directly, pointing and swatting before turning back to the front to vent more of his wrath. People are ‘deranged’ and ‘dumb,’ and his hands perform his signature squeezebox of anger. Standing clapping at his fans as he arrives on stage, Trump looks like a man who has just jumped back into the ring, made stronger, angrier, and meaner by the court case that threatened at one point to drain and weaken him.”
