Former President Donald Trump is set to resume in-person rallies, with plans to host events as early as next month.
Although the dates, locations and theme of the rallies have not yet been formalized, Trump is tentatively planning two events in June, with at least one additional rally planned for the month of July. The Daily Mail first reported on Trump’s plans to resume his rallies, which an adviser to the former president later confirmed.
With most of his accounts on social media indefinitely or permanently suspended, Trump’s rallies could become the main vehicle for him to disseminate his messages if they are picked up by broadcast or social media networks. Trump has attempted to start up his own website, where he delivers tweet-like remarks in the form of blog posts, but its rate of success has been dismal compared to his previous reach on social media.
It’s likely, however, that some networks will choose not to air Trump’s rallies live, as many did during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic and after the 2020 presidential election, in order to avoid providing a platform for false information.
Last week, Trump’s hold on Republican politicians was evident, as the GOP conference in the House of Representatives voted to strip Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) of her leadership position over her insistence that Biden had legitimately won the 2020 presidential race against Trump. With rallies scheduled for next month, Trump will be addressing his base directly, which could discourage Republicans from standing up to his “big lie.”
On the other hand, it’s possible that Trump’s rallies could have a detrimental effect on the Republican party, as the former president is known for making outlandish claims and controversial statements — the very type of behavior that may have contributed to his loss in last year’s race. In that sense, Trump’s endorsement could be a liability for some GOP candidates in 2022.
If Trump continues to push lies about election fraud, it may cause his base of supporters to distrust the democratic process altogether, in turn discouraging them from voting in the 2022 midterms, much like what may have happened in Georgia during the Senate runoff races earlier this year.
“This could cost the Republicans the majority in the House in 2022,” veteran GOP pollster Frank Luntz recently said. “What Donald Trump is saying is actually telling people it’s not worth it to vote. … And he may be the greatest tool in the Democrats’ arsenal to keep control of the House and Senate in 2022.”
In a post he published to his website over the weekend, Trump celebrated polling data that showed two-thirds of Republicans believed the 2020 election outcome was illegitimate.
“I agree with them 100%, just look at the facts and the data — there is no way [Biden] won the 2020 Presidential Election!” Trump errantly claimed, providing no facts or data in his post to back up his argument.
Truthout Is Preparing to Meet Trump’s Agenda With Resistance at Every Turn
Dear Truthout Community,
If you feel rage, despondency, confusion and deep fear today, you are not alone. We’re feeling it too. We are heartsick. Facing down Trump’s fascist agenda, we are desperately worried about the most vulnerable people among us, including our loved ones and everyone in the Truthout community, and our minds are racing a million miles a minute to try to map out all that needs to be done.
We must give ourselves space to grieve and feel our fear, feel our rage, and keep in the forefront of our mind the stark truth that millions of real human lives are on the line. And simultaneously, we’ve got to get to work, take stock of our resources, and prepare to throw ourselves full force into the movement.
Journalism is a linchpin of that movement. Even as we are reeling, we’re summoning up all the energy we can to face down what’s coming, because we know that one of the sharpest weapons against fascism is publishing the truth.
There are many terrifying planks to the Trump agenda, and we plan to devote ourselves to reporting thoroughly on each one and, crucially, covering the movements resisting them. We also recognize that Trump is a dire threat to journalism itself, and that we must take this seriously from the outset.
Last week, the four of us sat down to have some hard but necessary conversations about Truthout under a Trump presidency. How would we defend our publication from an avalanche of far right lawsuits that seek to bankrupt us? How would we keep our reporters safe if they need to cover outbreaks of political violence, or if they are targeted by authorities? How will we urgently produce the practical analysis, tools and movement coverage that you need right now — breaking through our normal routines to meet a terrifying moment in ways that best serve you?
It will be a tough, scary four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. We need to deliver news, strategy, liberatory ideas, tools and movement-sparking solutions with a force that we never have had to before. And at the same time, we desperately need to protect our ability to do so.
We know this is such a painful moment and donations may understandably be the last thing on your mind. But we must ask for your support, which is needed in a new and urgent way.
We promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation and vitriol and hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.
Please dig deep if you can, but a donation of any amount will be a truly meaningful and tangible action in this cataclysmic historical moment.
We’re with you. Let’s do all we can to move forward together.
With love, rage, and solidarity,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy