At a Trump rally, his supporters look forward to a rematch against Biden

Draped in a colorful banner and wearing a large "God, Guns, and Trump" medallion around her neck, at a Thursday rally for former Republican president Angela Wilkinson is sure her personal hero will fire Joe Biden from the White House next year

At a Trump rally, his supporters look forward to a rematch against Biden

Draped in a colorful banner and wearing a large "God, Guns, and Trump" medallion around her neck, at a Thursday rally for former Republican president Angela Wilkinson is sure her personal hero will fire Joe Biden from the White House next year.

Just two days after Joe Biden's 2024 re-election campaign officially launched, his most likely Republican opponent held a rally in one of the first states to vote in the party's primary: New Hampshire, on the northeast coast of the United States.

The goal: to strengthen the conviction of supporters of the ex-president that he can regain the post lost in 2020.

On the sidelines of the meeting taking place in a hotel in Manchester, many say to AFP salivating at the idea of ​​​​a new confrontation between their 76-year-old colt and the current 80-year-old president, including Angela Wilkinson, who has drove several hours from neighboring Maine.

"A rematch? There wasn't even a match to start," exasperated the 48-year-old insurance broker, referring to unfounded accusations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election; accusations repeated by them and others at the meeting.

"But let him try!" she said with a smile, "because Biden is going to get annihilated."

Anne-Marie O'Neil, a native of New Hampshire agrees: "I don't like Biden", "there should be a rematch", launches this 63-year-old caregiver.

And when asked if she is ready for a new fierce battle which is looming under dark legal auspices for Donald Trump, the sympathizer responds tit-au-tac: "I have the guts for".

The former White House tenant arrived in New Hampshire with a slew of bad news for the looming campaign.

The author and former American columnist E. Jean Carroll testified on Wednesday that the former president of the United States had raped her, which he denies, during a civil lawsuit in New York where she seeks compensation.

On Thursday, his former vice-president, Mike Pence, testified in court as part of the investigation into attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election, according to several US media.

And at the end of March, he became the first president in the history of the United States to be indicted, in the case of buying the silence of an actress of X movies in 2016.

However, his supporters are not flinching.

"He's a fighter," says Anne-Marie O'Neil, adding, "They've been after Trump from day one."

On stage, Donald Trump provided the show.

His supporters gloated when he poked fun at the current president, impersonating a lost or staggering old man before promising, "We're going to crush Joe Biden."

The abrasive-toned billionaire also delivered a long list of customary litanies in his more than hour-and-a-half-long speech.

According to him, he is thus the only candidate who "will prevent a third world war", while illegal immigration has transformed the United States into "a dump for the whole world", and the country was currently run by " stupid people".

In the room, one of his supporters, who gave the name Tin Tran, expressed his fear that Donald Trump was facing Democrats who would do everything not to see the ex-president again at the White House, even if it means use corruption.

"They're going to steal the election again," said the 40-something cowboy hat on his head as the room echoed to Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U."

For this Donald Trump sympathizer, Joe Biden is "like a zombie, it's so easy to control him from behind the scenes".

Mike Osene, another supporter expressing a less radical vision of the election and conceding that Donald Trump had lost in 2020, remained on his side optimistic about the idea of ​​a victory for the Republican against Joe Biden.

"If there's a rematch, I think Trump is going to cut it short," said the 45-year-old Connecticut resident.

04/28/2023 11:46:06 - Manchester (United States) (AFP) - © 2023 AFP