Twice-impeached, and hopefully soon indicted, former President Donald Trump chose a disturbing location for his first MAGA rally since announcing he is running for president in 2024: Waco, Texas.
The rally, planned for Saturday, will occur during the 30th anniversary of the siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco. The tragic incident is seared in the consciousness of Americans, it seems only yesterday federal agents raided the compound seeking to arrest cult leader David Koresh. The botched raid resulted in an inferno that left 76 people, including 25 children dead.
Waco resonates with the far-right base that worships Trump with as much fervor as the Branch Davidians worshipped David Koresh. Nazis, Christian nationalists, and right-wing crazies of all stripes regard the Waco anniversary with the same reverence that they regard Christmas or Easter.
Koresh was a narcissist who reveled in his power over his followers, and I don’t think he shed a tear that his monumental ego resulted in a conflagration that killed dozens of children.
Trump’s ego matches that of Koresh, and Trump does not care that his refusal to accept the result of the 2020 election almost resulted in the end of our democracy.
Trump is cognizant that Waco represents the hatred that his base harbors towards the federal government, and he could care less if he incites another Waco-style inferno.