Orlando MAGA supporters take bus to Miami to support 'daddy' Trump
Several dozen Central Florida MAGA supporters headed to Miami on Tuesday to back Donald Trump during a history-making court hearing, saying they remain firmly committed to the former president despite the 37 felony charges he faces.
Trump supporters clad in the stars and stripes left the Walmart on John Young Parkway about 10 a.m. to join a crowd that Miami authorities expected to span anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000.
Trump's supporters said they think the federal charges are politically motivated and vowed to back him over his primary challenger Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican politicians. Some wore shirts that read, "Donald Trump Did Nothing Wrong," while another donned a "Finish the Wall" hat.
"Donald Trump is the only one in the world who has the ability and the willingness to put America back on the right track," said Mike Levine of Clermont. "There's a lot of people in high places that don't want us to have the freedoms and liberties that we have had."
Trump, the front runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, is accused of keeping classified documents in a ballroom and a bathroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and then scheming and lying to thwart the government's efforts to recover them.
More Context
What is the government alleging that Donald Trump did with the classified documents?
The documents involved issues of national security, such as the nuclear capabilities of a foreign country, according to the federal indictment. Prosecutors allege that Trump showed classified material to people not authorized to see it on two occasions.
Trump is also facing charges in Manhattan of falsifying business records. Those charges stem from accusations that Trump arranged a $130,000 hush money payment to an adult film actress before the 2016 election.
Despite those allegations, Levine said he thinks Trump is a better pick than DeSantis, who he said "betrayed" the former president by entering the race. Trump endorsed DeSantis' bid for governor in 2018, boosting his campaign and helping him secure a victory over the favorite GOP establishment candidate, Adam Putnam.
"Donald Trump, in my opinion, is the incumbent Republican candidate for president and should be treated as such," Levine said.
Trump denies wrongdoing and has urged his supporters to protest, saying, "We've lost everything."
The right-wing Florida Republican Assembly organized the bus trip. That group describes itself as a "Judeo-Christian grassroots organization committed to restoring the Republican Party to its founding principles."
The organization wanted to show "solidarity" with Trump, said Lou Marin, an Orlando resident and executive vice president of the Florida Republican Assembly. LCA Development and Realty, an Orlando real estate developer, sponsored the trip, according to a flyer.
"We firmly believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty," Marin said.
Marin, a former vice chair of the Orange County GOP, faced scrutiny at the time for reportedly posting conspiracy theories that called the Parkland shooting a hoax and referred to the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon.
Miriam J. Ramirez, president of the Puerto Rico Republican Assembly, wore a "Make America Great Again" hat and said she and others in the Puerto Rican community are sticking with the former president.
"We feel safe, like a daddy who's taking care of us," Ramirez said of why she and others are supporting Trump.
As Trump's backers boarded two buses in the Walmart parking lot, Danette Chialtas of Orlando watched and yelled at them.
"Get on the bus, you traitors!" she said "Your dictator is being arraigned today for espionage. Traitors!"