At a rally held at the Sarasota Fairgrounds, in Florida, Donald Trump was the former President. Jason Behnken/AP Photo Trump rails against prosecutorial misconduct during Florida rallySARASOTA (Fla.) Donald Trump made his revenge trip to Florida Saturday night, but he had a new target: the indictments against Trump Organization.Trump's rally was his second since leaving office. The nation and state continue to mourn the South Florida condo fire that left more than 100 people dead and many others missing. This rally comes just two days after indictments were released by prosecutors alleging that Trump Organization and its chief finance officer failed to pay $1.7million in taxes related to company fringe benefits.Trump sat down in front of thousands of fans at Sarasota's fairgrounds and reacted to the indictments. He portrayed the allegations as a politically motivated prosecution against his family, business, and friends.Trump stated that you didn't pay taxes for the car or the company apartment, nor education for your grandchildren. This was in reference to the allegations against the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg. They indict people, but murder and the sale of massive amounts of the most dangerous drugs in the world, which kill people all over the globe, is what they are charged with.The Trump Organization was not charged by those who attended, even though they were soaked for much of the night.Duane Schwanle, a Chiefland resident, stated that it was all fake news. He was there in Uncle Sam costume. Trump is our president. None of this is legit. It's a witch hunt.The nation has been focused for days on the rescue efforts at Surfside's building disaster. This was only briefly acknowledged hours before Trump took to the stage. One of Trump's closest allies, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, was not able to attend the rally because of that tragedy. Ron DeSantis was absent from Saturday's rally, as he concentrated on the ongoing crisis at Miami. DeSantis is gaining popularity with the conservative base in the country and is considering a bid for the White House in 2024. This could set him up for a collision with former president who openly indicated he is considering another run for the presidency.DeSantis is a well-known pro-Trump governor and has built a strong relationship with Trump's base through his fundraising and building of his profile. But Trump's rally is a striking contrast: DeSantis withheld his participation in the rally during the Surfside crisis, while Trump proceeded with his event.Trump spoke to a packed house at Sarasota's fairgrounds for over 90 minutes. This is Trumps home state, and a Republican-friendly area. Trump addressed the crowd during the rally and thanked Joe Gruters, a Florida senator and Republican Party of Florida Chairman, who picked Trump as the Statesman of the year long before he ran to be president. Other speakers before Trump were Rep. Matt Gaetz (R. Fla.), who is currently under federal investigation in a ongoing sex crime investigation and the ex-president's son, Donald Trump Jr.Trump spent approximately 10 minutes railing against New York's prosecution of his company. He simultaneously downplayed the severity of the charges, and painted it as part of an ongoing witch hunting.He told the crowd that I've been targeted ever since I went down the elevator. Later, he added that it was actually called prosecutorial misconduct. It is a horrible, terrible thing.Florida is a friendly state for Trump, who declared himself to be a Florida resident in 2019. Florida was his winning state by three points in 2020. Many of his most loyal supporters call Florida home. He thanked everyone who came to his Saturday night rally, which was one of many he planned to hold in an effort for the president's revenge on congressional Republicans who voted for his second impeachment.Trump stated that we will all work together to take back the House and the Senate. We will also take back America.Trump spent much of his speech focusing on conservative issues that energized him politically. He recited for the crowd the most popular hits from January.Trump stated that the radical left was bringing chaos and lawlessness to every community and state in this country.Although Trump lost to President Joe Biden by more 7 million votes, Trump continues to make baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He even promoted an audit of Arizona's most populous county.While some in the party are concerned about long-term effects of partisan electoral audits, Trump's positioning has energized Trumps most passionate supporters and convinced some that the former president can be reinstated.A man dressed in a suit with ties similar to Trumps attended the rally. He said that he believes the audit in Arizona will show that Democrats have cheated.They all cheated, claimed the man who only identified himself to be Donald J. Trump.He spoke while everyone around him cheered.
