The first time Donald Trump summoned a crowd to protest, or maybe even stop, some bad news coming his way, it didn’t go so well. During his first arraignment, he tried again, but that one fizzled, probably because his base were afraid they’d be treated like a certain Mr. Show alum. Was the third time — in Miami, for his second arraignment — the charm? Nope.
A report by The Daily Beast details the scene outside the federal courthouse in Florida’s most famous city. Trump had beckoned his supporters the other day, taking on social media to declare, “SEE YOU IN MIAMI ON TUESDAY!!!” The turnout was exponentially better than the one in New York in April, which only drew about…three, maybe six. But though it attracted hundreds, not the hoped-for thousands, it was still, as Beast reporters reported, “modest.”
But at least it was colorful. Those that braved the Miami protest, unable to resist Trump’s siren song, were MAGA eccentrics. There was Osmany Estrada, who emigrated to the U.S. from Cuba on a raft when young, paraded about the courthouse grounds wielding a pig’s head on a pike.
The pig head being carried around the courthouse looks significantly more cooked after a day in the 90° Miami heat
pic.twitter.com/L4wu0foWHm
— Dylan Wells (@dylanewells) June 13, 2023
Was it a reference to the pig’s head in Lord of the Flies? Something else? Estrada didn’t have a good reason, though he assured reporters the head was…quite real. “Sometimes you just have to be bold,” he explained.
Some of the attendees were well-known about Trumpworld. There was Forgiato Blow, real name Kurt Jantz, a novelty MAGA rapper, who couldn’t coax the masses to show up. There was Vivek Ramaswamy, the long shot Republican presidential candidate, who has yet to incur Trump’s wrath. There was “Baked Alaska” and Laura Loomer and associates of Nick Fuentes (but not Nick Fuentes).
There was no storming of the courthouse. The most exciting occurrence was when the crowd was asked to leave part of the grounds as police investigated a mysterious TV with writing on it, evidently planted by Trump fans. All in all it was (happily) a nothingburger day. After Trump’s arraignment, the big guy even celebrated his milestone — first U.S. president ever arraigned on federal charges! — by swinging by a local eatery to soak up the vibes.
(Via The Daily Beast)