Donald Trump held his first rally since being subpoenaed in the congressional investigation into January 6 on Saturday, where the enthusiastic crowd interrupted him by breaking out in song.
Speaking in Robstown, Texas, the ex-president addressed a crowd of supporters and once again railed against what he called an unfair investigation by partisans in Congress — ignoring the participation of two Republicans on the committee not to mention the panel’s focus on witnesses from his own administration as well as GOP officials around the country.
And he even praised the crowd that descended upon the Capitol complex and is blamed for the deaths of several members of law enforcement, including some from suicide in the immediate aftermath.
But initially, when attempting to bring up the committee’s supposed faults, the president was interrupted by his own audience which spontaneously launched into a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
It was a surreal moment that appeared triggered by some event at the scene, though it was unclear exactly what. As the crowd began singing, cameras revealed two large US flags held aloft by a crane over the rally.
The former president did not appear to hold his hand over his heart at any part during the song, as is custom, and instead appeared to be simply enjoying the moment, turning slightly to peer at different parts of his audience.
The rally then resumed with Mr Trump calling the moment “so beautiful”.
“You know when this whole big crowd stood up, I said, oh we have protesters,” he said. “And you know what? they are protesting. They’re protesting what’s taking place in our country, and it’s so bad and so wrong. It is a protest.”
He then launched back into his diatribes about January 6 and other topics.
Mr Trump’s rally in Robstown follows an escalation of the Jan 6 committee’s pursuit of him with a subpoena for his testimony; the ex-president also faces other mounting investigations not limited to two DoJ investigations into his retention of documents, including classified materials, and the attack on the Capitol.
The general sense from those in Trumpworld is that the president will announce a bid for the White House in the coming months, with some even hoping he will do so before the midterm elections are held in early November. Mr Trump continues to publicly hint at his rallies and other appearances that he will do so, setting himself up for a rematch with President Joe Biden who is reportedly beginning to gear up for his own reelection bid.
Were Mr Trump to run again it would be an unprecedented campaign for the presidency from a figure who resisted leaving the White House after his last defeat to the point that his supporters laid siege to the seat of Congress. It would also add a layer of complexity to all of the investigations against him; a motivating factor that is thought to be behind much of his desire to enter the ring once again.
Recent reporting from The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman indicates as much, as well as that the ex president remains obsessed about getting revenge on Mr Biden as well.
“I think Trump misses the pomp and legal protections that the presidency afforded him. I also think he wants revenge on Biden, and on the media, and on a whole range of people,” she said during a recent interview with her own publication released to promote her new book on Donald Trump.
“And he wants to be able to continue to raise money and get attention, both of which disappear if he doesn’t run,” she added. “What I’m not clear on is that he really wants to wage another campaign, in part because he’s that much older and in part because he seems less engaged generally.”
