Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Florida protesters stay faithful to Trump

Florida protesters stay faithful to Trump

When 31-year-old hot dog vendor Dirk Frazel heard the news that Donald Trump had been indicted, he “knew he had to do something”, so he got in his car.
His destination was Trump’s home at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, a five-hour drive from Frazel’s home in St Augustine.

The Mar-a-Lago rally, along with a second event held outside a nearby Trump-branded golf course, totaled no more than several dozen people on Saturday, despite earlier calls for protests by Trump ahead of the indictment.

“I heard he was indicted on Twitter and knew there would be people down here,” Frazel told the BBC, standing on a bridge near Mar-a-Lago where he was handing out “Trump hot dogs” to passing motorists.

Inside the resort a few hundred meters away, Trump has reportedly been meeting with his advisers and legal team to plan his legal defense against criminal charges in connection with a $130,000 (£105,000) pay-out to porn star Stormy Daniels.

He is expected to hand himself over to authorities in New York on Tuesday, April 4, with a hearing due to take place at 14:15 local time (19:15BST).

The specific charges Trump faces are not yet public.

Sources familiar with the case have told US media that the former president is being charged with falsifying business records in the first degree — a felony under US law.

Despite the small showing, many Trump supporters at the rallies expressed confidence that Trump would emerge politically unscathed from his legal battles, and go on to win the 2024 presidential election, even if he is convicted.

“I think he’ll be our president again. We’ll be seeing a lot more people coming out to support him because of this,” said Dina, a Palm Beach resident. “I hope we see this through until his next presidency.”

Another demonstrator, a woman who asked to be identified only as Marcy, said she believed the New York indictment would ultimately help Trump’s presidential bid.

“Nothing will come of this indictment,” she said. “Knowing the way he is, he’s probably going to print t-shirts with his mugshot and make millions of dollars.”

“Any free publicity is good publicity,” she added, gesturing towards the Trump International golf course.

Trump’s campaign has already claimed that it raised over $4m (£3.24m) in donations in the 24 hours following the indictment, a quarter of which it said came from first-time donors.

But while Trump leads opinion polls among the current field of Republican candidates, polls suggest he would not win an election against President Joe Biden, were he to run again.

Many of the supporters wore red “Make America Great Again” hats and waved flags with Trump’s picture and campaign slogans on them, prompting horn honking and approving shouts from passing cars.

Occasionally, motorists hurled expletives and made lewd gestures at the pro-Trump crowd, with one woman repeatedly shouting “lock him up!” from a passing vehicle.

Nearby, a boat anchored in the waters near the resort flew large flags with the words “Trust the plan” and “Trump or death”.

The supporters gave the BBC a variety of reasons for supporting Trump, ranging from support for local businesses to vague unsupported claims that he was combating “communists” and the “deep state”.

Others —echoing the words of prominent Republicans — accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg who is in charge of the investigation against Trump of “weaponizing” the law for political reasons.

“The Democrats are trying to make an example out of him, to show that they’re in control,” said a local resident who identified herself only as Mary, echoing a refrain common among the demonstrators.

“We had a Bill of Rights, and a Constitution, things that were so sacred. We don’t have that anymore.”

Another woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said that some Trump supporters in her social circles saw the indictment as a sign that the Democrats were frightened of Trump’s continued appeal.

“We knew this [the indictment] was coming. They know their days are done if he comes back. They’re desperate. It’s almost comical,” said a woman who asked to remain anonymous.

In her eyes, a Trump victory is all but certain in 2024. “Even if he’s in jail, he can still run, and he can still win. No matter what,” she said. “We love Trump and just hope that God has him in his hands.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×