Donald Trump

On Saturday evening, former President Donald Trump spoke before a huge crowd of spectators in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Trump’s rally was held in support of his endorsed Pennsylvania candidates, Senate hopeful Dr. Mehmet Oz and gubernatorial candidate, Doug Mastriano. However, as Trump’s rallies often do, the attendees were there as much to hear Trump speak as they were to support 2022 midterm candidates.

Over the course of his speech, Trump revealed more details about the August 8 raid on his personal home, Mar-a-Lago. In particular, Trump alleges that the agents searching his home rifled through not only Melania’s closet (a detail revealed within days of the announcement of the search), but they also went through Barron’s room and personal effects.

Trump described the raid as something one would expect in a “Third World” country. “The Biden Administration invaded the home of their chief political opponent who is absolutely destroying him and everybody else in the polls . . . (they) rifled through . . . Melania’s closet drawers and even did a deep and ugly search of the room of my sixteen-year-old son.”

Barron Trump was largely kept out of the spotlight by his mother; he was a mere ten years old when his father was elected in 2016.

Trump claims that everything the agents touched was left “in a far different condition than it was when they started.”

On Friday, a more detailed property receipt was released by the Department of Justice; previously, magistrate Bruce Reinhart had ordered that the property receipt be released to the public. The updated and detailed list included eighteen articles of clothing.

Since, the public has been asking why a government agency would need to seize clothing.

The detailed property receipt list also mentioned that they took empty folders as well as gift items. The public already knew that some of the items taken included a cocktail napkin, a dinner menu, the letter outgoing President Barack Obama left for Trump, and a letter from North Korea’s leader to President Trump.

Trump echoed a sentiment he argued long ago; “They’re trying to silence me . . . and they are trying to silence you.” Trump added that if “we . . . stop speaking the truth . . . we’re not going to have a country left.” Years ago, Trump told his supporters that “they” weren’t after him, “they” were after the American people – (Trump) was merely in the way.

Trump’s packed crowd is a stark contrast to the small group who attended President Joe Biden’s speech, also held in Wilkes-Barre earlier this week. Trump claimed that there were hundreds outside the arena where he was speaking in addition to the individuals indoors.

His speech is also a stark contrast to the Thursday evening speech that Biden provided. Biden’s speech came under deep criticism, even by Democrats. Not only was the subject of his speech not palatable, but the underlying symbolism drew ire from Americans of all political affiliations. Independents took to Twitter to say that they would not support the rhetoric put forward by Biden, who spoke chiefly on Thursday about MAGA Republicans.

On Friday morning, as a result of the criticism, the White House tried to walk back Biden’s comments. Biden himself said that his speech was not a commentary on all Republicans, but a “fringe” of the party. Karine Jean-Pierre was asked similar questions, and her answers were similar. No one in the Biden Administration has condemned the remarks.

Trump took an opportunity Saturday evening to once again tease a 2024 presidential run. Trump has been dropping hints for months, particularly in the wake of the success he has had in promoting midterm candidates.

Some say that the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago propelled him even further in popularity. In the fallout over the last few weeks, whistleblowers have come forward saying that the FBI has become highly politicized. One special agent, Timothy Thibault, has left his post. Mark Zuckerberg also told Joe Rogan on a recent podcast that the FBI had come to FaceBook employees and warned them of possible Russian propaganda in the days before the Hunter Biden laptop story dropped.