Donald Trump flew in to greet thousands of supporters at his oceanside rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Saturday.
Amid major speculations about who his final running mate pick would be, the ex-president was accompanied by an unlikely surprise guest, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Together, they arrived at the venue in the presumptive GOP nominee’s ‘Trump Force One’ campaign plane.
The New York Post reported that the rumoured VP contender came out with his wife Kathryn in support of the former president’s run for Term 2.
The American news website added that officials believed 80,000 people were expected to come out in support of Trump’s first major rally in the area since 2020.
Donald Trump’s New Jersey rally welcomes “mega crowd” with a festival-like energy
A wild scene erupted at the Wildwood beach on May 11 as people lined up to catch a glimpse of the former president. Per NJ.com’s report, many of these Trump supporters travelled for hours to attend the beachfront rally, with hundreds of them even setting up camp on the boardwalk.
Trump’s attendance on Saturday evening in the southern New Jersey resort town follows a week-long legal entanglement in court for his ongoing felony hush money trial, among several other charges that could possibly result in Trump’s conviction by Election Day, which is less than six months away.
According to The Associated Press, Rep. Jeff Van Drew described this gathering of thousands of people as the largest political turnout in the state’s history. Trump truthers gathered around the area hours before his arrival, covered in paraphernalia suggesting their pledged loyalty to the former president.
Many wore “Never Surrender” t-shirts and red “Make America Great Again” hats. Other pictures of the beachfront gathering also showed them engaging in tailgate parties ahead of the rally, almost painting a picture of a festival.