On March 25, 2023, former US President Donald Trump held a rally in Waco, Texas that received extensive media coverage from outlets such as CNN, NBC News, The New York Times, and The Texas Tribune. The event was Trump’s first large-scale campaign event since announcing his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
The rally drew an estimated 12,000-15,000 people, and media outlets reported on Trump’s combative rhetoric and his potential legal troubles. The Associated Press reported that Trump was facing the possibility of indictment but took a defiant stance at the rally, while The Texas Tribune reported that he vowed to have the back of supporters who had been wronged or betrayed.
CNN fact-checked Trump’s claims during the rally and found that he repeated false claims, including baseless allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. The New York Times focused on the location of the rally, near the site of the Branch Davidian cult’s siege in 1993, which raised concerns among hosts of late-night talk shows.
BBC and Al Jazeera reported that despite facing potential legal troubles, the rally was business as usual for Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported that the rally was Trump’s first large-scale campaign event since announcing his White House comeback bid, and compared it to an apocalyptic battle.
Overall, media coverage of the rally was mixed, with some outlets focusing on Trump’s potential legal troubles, while others treated it as a typical campaign rally. However, all outlets reported on Trump’s combative rhetoric.
Central Texas Reporter 