Trump backers flock to Wisconsin rally, shrug off break from hush money trial

A growing line of supporters snaked through the parking lot of the Waukesha County Expo Center Wednesday ahead of former President Donald Trump’s first campaign rally during his hush money trial playing out in New York.

Bil Aldrich stuck out in the crowd.

It wasn’t just the cowboy hat, glasses with checkered lenses and red, white and blue shirt.

It was the red pickup truck that was hard to miss, even in the growing sea of cars.

The 51-year-old from DeForest said he always flies the “Trump 2020” flag on a pole in the bed of the truck. Stickers on the vehicle featured the outline of a rabbit with a “Q” inside and another that read, “Nothing can stop what is coming. Nothing,” a slogan tied to the conspiracy movement QAnon.

This was his sixth rally since late October 2020, though he said he also voted for Trump in 2016.

Like others in the growing crowd, he dismissed the lengthy criminal trial that is playing out in a New York courtroom with Trump as the defendant. He and others said they would vote for Trump even if he were convicted.

Aldrich called Trump “honest to a fault” and said the criminal charges he's facing are “show trials.”

“They’re BS, but he’ll prevail one way or another, even if he ends up running the country from jail,” Aldrich said.

Those at the front of the line arrived well before 7 a.m. for the afternoon rally, some bringing chairs and others sitting on blankets or just on the ground. The line grew throughout the morning and vendors wove through, selling shirts, hats, keychains and more.

Near the front was Waukesha native Doug Neumann who said he’s honored Trump is in his hometown on the former president’s single day off of trial this week.

Trump is on trial in New York City on criminal charges he falsified business records to conceal $130,000 in hush money paid to a porn star to help his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump is required to attend each day of the trial, but the judge has scheduled Wednesdays as off days. Trump's trip to Waukesha is his first Wednesday off-day trip on the campaign trail.

Trump also faces federal indictments over the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection and over his handling of classified documents after he left the presidency. A criminal trial in Georgia is also pending over allegations of attempting to overturn the 2020 election results there.

More: Takeaways from Donald Trump's Wisconsin rally: economy, immigration, early voting

More: 'He's anointed': Donald Trump's Wisconsin faithful cloak the 2024 race in messianic zeal

Standing in line ahead of the event, Neumann was hopeful Trump’s message would be one of unity, bringing Republicans together.

Neumann has supported Trump since 2016 and said he thinks it’s unlikely Trump will be convicted at trial.

He said absentee voting should only be allowed for veterans and people with disabilities.

“If you can drive and walk, you should go to the polls,” Neumann said.

A recent lawsuit in Wisconsin has raised the question of whether to allow voters with disabilities to vote electronically.

Among the early arrivals was Darryl Krejci, 54, of Lake Mills, who said he left his house at 6 a.m. for the half-hour drive to Waukesha. He said he wanted to be present Wednesday because this is a "moment in history that I think reinforces the democratic process." Not every country, he said, allows candidates to freely speak to the public.

He said he was curious to hear directly from the former president without his words being filtered.

"You know what you're getting when you listen to the man," he said. "We all know what an enigma he is as president, as a personality, as an entertainer, and you can filter that out and listen to his words, his message."

Krejci said he saw in Trump someone who, as a businessman, could make decisions without being swayed by feelings and emotions. He pointed to the U.S. southern border and raised concerns about people who cross illegally receiving resources from the U.S. government. He said his children's mother came to the U.S. legally.

As for the trial, he said Trump was being unfairly singled out for prosecution.

“This man has a target on his back,” Krejci said.

Even if the jury finds him guilty, he said he would vote for him again, as he did in 2020 and 2016.

Most attendees the Journal Sentinel spoke to said border security and combatting inflation were their primary concerns, including debate teacher Joanne Andress of Colgate, who attended as a volunteer.

The rally was a first for Andress, but voting for Trump is not.

When she wasn’t helping direct attendees to the line outside the entrance as a volunteer, Andress walked around the lot praying for Trump’s protection in the face of legal battles and physical threats.

As a debate teacher, Andress said she’s "all for bipartisanship and compromise as long as we remain sovereign under God." She said she feels that America’s moral compass has been eroded from the country’s institutions.

Another volunteer, Mary Jo Thompson from Richfield said her life was better when Trump was president. She and her husband are both retired on a fixed income.

"If inflation keeps up, it won’t work out well for us," she said.

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com. Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump backers at Wisconsin rally shrug off New York hush money trial