VANDALIA, Ohio—Donald Trump supporters at the election-eve rally outside of Dayton were skeptical the former president would announce a 2024 bid.
The closest they would get came in the form of a video montage showing President Joe Biden fumbling his words, set to the early 1990s hit “Ready for This” by 2 Unlimited, and then a plug for a “very special announcement” on Nov. 15 at Mar-a-Lago.
But before it became clear the Ohio event—ostensibly a rally for Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance—was just a big tease, many present said they would be elated if he did announce, but there were other items at the top of the agenda.
ADVERTISEMENT
“There’s a lot of things I’d like to hear tonight… I should be careful, I just hope he announces the criminal reign is about over,” Rick Trotter, a retired aviation engineer from Troy, Ohio, told The Daily Beast, alluding to QAnon conspiracy theories.
Trotter’s wife, Jane, chimed in that she could care less if Trump upstaged Vance, the night’s guest of honor.
Just in case, there were scores of Trump 2024 shirts for sale outside the rally.
Even the biggest MAGA celebrities in attendance claimed they had no idea what Trump would do. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told The Daily Beast he thought a Trump 2024 declaration could help boost GOP turnout on Election Day, but added he couldn’t make a prediction either way.
Janet Witchrow, a retiree from Farmersville, said that her priorities are longer-term, alluding to Stop the Steal 2.0. She said she was excited to see if Trump would officially run again, but her focus is on her work as a district captain for the Convention of States, a group centered around the doctrine that state legislatures, not voters, are the ultimate arbiter of elections.
“Trump always saves something special for Ohio,” Witchrow told The Daily Beast.
While waiting in the concessions line off to the side of a young family entertaining their kids with coloring books on the tarmac, another pair of Ohio Trump supports disagreed over whether it made any sense for him to launch his 2024 run the night before the midterms.
“He motivates people, but it doesn’t matter to me, he’ll be back at some point soon,” said Greg Courtney of Sydney, sporting a Slipknot sweatshirt and a MAGA hat.
Next to him, Mark Chew of Liberty Township respectfully disagreed.
“I don’t want him to energize the other half,” Chew, a retired salesman, replied.
Cooper Bowen, a college student from Kettering, Ohio, told The Daily Beast that he was convinced Trump would hold off on announcing until mid-November, and that he came to the rally to show that young people care about the midterms.
His friend, Zach Zimmerman, also from Kettering, added that Trump declaring a run couldn’t hurt the GOP in the midterms.
Compared to most Trump rallies, the crowd was rather muted on Monday night. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) didn’t get the kind of raucous reception she’s used to, which the crowd reserved for fellow GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Vance landed his applause lines, particularly a joke about how half of the crowd must be related to him.
“I’m sick of American decline, I’m ready to do something about it,” the Hillbilly Elegy author said to muted applause.
“We’ve got a good sense of humor in this crowd,” Vance said at another point during an awkward pause.
After the candidate wrapped up, the crowd had to wait almost two hours for Trump to arrive.
Trump once again teased Vance from the podium, asking if the Senate hopeful wanted to make the rally “a quickie.”
“Why am I even here?” Trump said, ostensibly complimenting Vance on his poll numbers.
The crowd kept waiting for Trump to mention 2024 as he went on tangents ranging from the effect of rain on teleprompters to his rallies being akin to a “religious experience.”
As the 2024 anticipation still lingered in the air, Trump went on to invite Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on stage after the crowd booed the first mention of his name.
Once DeWine made it up on stage, the crowd booed some more as he attempted to talk about increasing police funding.
Trump also gave a shoutout to Lindell, whom he called the ”greatest” ad buyer of all time.
For Lindell, there was more important business to attend to going into 2024.
Speaking with The Daily Beast shortly after the prayer convocation—where failed Dayton mayoral candidate Rennes Bowers said the country’s problems will be solved not by the voters, “but an act of God”—Lindell was onto the next one.
“I just wanna get rid of the voting machines.”
