Trump postpones first rally since trial began due to bad weather

Wilmington, United States – AFP

Donald Trump called off a rally on Saturday, the Republican candidate’s first campaign event since his criminal trial in New York began this week, due to bad weather threatening the outdoor gathering.

Thousands of supporters had gathered for the event at the airport in the North Carolina city of Wilmington when he called in 30 minutes before the scheduled start.

“We want to make sure that everybody is safe above all and so they’ve asked us to ask people to leave the site and seek shelter,” Trump said in the call broadcast over the loudspeakers, with thick dark clouds overhead and scattered lightning strikes.

“It’s a pretty big storm. So if you don’t mind, I think we’re going to have to just do a rain check. I’m so sad.”

Trump promised to hold a “bigger and better” rally at the same venue another time, and the disappointed crowd quickly dispersed.

The event had been set to take place ahead of opening statements Monday morning in Trump’s “hush money” trial in New York, after jury selection was completed on Friday.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of business fraud as part of an alleged plan to cover up payments to a porn star to keep the story of a sexual encounter from emerging just before the 2016 presidential election, in which he beat Hillary Clinton.

Trump has denounced the trial — the first of a former US president — as a political “witch hunt,” and many of his supporters agree.

“It’s not… a criminal trial, really. It’s just a political one,” said Grace Miller, 58, a retiree from North Carolina who had come for the rally. “You can’t just make something into a felony. I mean, they think we’re stupid, but we’re not.”

Truck driver Stephen Prater accused Democrats of using the trial to prevent Trump’s re-election.

“The left is trying to try to pull every stop they can to keep him from getting to office,” said Prater, 29.