It looks like Waco, Texas will make history again, as the first rally for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential run will have an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 attendees. The weekend rally, which is held three decades after the Waco massacre, comes amid looming indictments for Trump. In the morning hours, several people have already queued for the rally.
“Very fine people” seem to be pretty damn excited.
But, there are people who guffawed at the presence of the Ranch Covidians.
And the city of Waco carries sharply negative connotations among many people.
“Waco,” the symbol, like “Philadelphia, Miss.,” the symbol, means something else entirely. “Waco” has become an Alamo of sorts, a shrine for the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters, the Oath Keepers and other anti-government extremists and conspiracists.
What happened near Waco helped spawn what Fort Worth writer Jeff Guinn calls a “legacy of rage” in his new book about the Branch Davidian siege. The Northeast Texas Regional Militia of Texarkana erected a granite headstone at the site that reads as follows: "On February 28, 1993, a church and its members known as Branch Davidians came under attack by A.T.F. and F.B.I. agents. For 51 days the Davidians and their leader, David Koresh, stood proudly." As Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh put it, “Waco started this war.”
But not to worry, as firearms are prohibited during the event, which is held at Waco Regional Airport. Even organisers believe that gun bans do work. (Also, for extra security measures, appliances such as toasters will be banned at the event.)