ATLANTA — Supporters of former US President Donald Trump argued that he was arrested on false charges to prevent his return to the White House as they gathered outside Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail on Thursday evening to watch the Republican front-runner in the 2024 elections turn himself in.
“I don’t believe that if [Trump] was not running for President, that this would be happening,” said Rich Hearn, a mild-mannered accountant based in Atlanta,.
“This is really just a tactic by the left, as well as all the other indictments that have been handed out against him to cripple him for the election.”
Many protesters who spoke to the Post shared the same sentiment. They questioned the timing of the indictments and pointed out that they were brought by district attorneys in liberal cities.
Jordan Barreto, a realtor, argued that Trump had not been indicted among a “jury of his peers.” He thought that the trials were props to place prosecutors in the history books, rather than brought about from genuine concern.
Who were the people out supporting Trump?
Despite the mid-90-degrees heat, demonstrators had gathered outside of the jail since the morning. As early as 9:00 A.M., over one hundred demonstrators lined the jail’s entrance, sporting MAGA gear and carrying signs of support. They were still there in the evening when Trump arrived.
The group varied wildly in age and race, and while they chatted with each other, they also argued fiercely with the few counter-protesters who came to watch the arrest.
Two women holding a “Finally Trump Arrested” sign loudly debated with two men over Trump’s racial policies, in front of a small audience of activists, journalists and cameramen.
At around 7:31 PM, a dramatic entourage of motorcycles and black SUVs sped into the jail’s intake unit, where Trump — inmate #2313827 — was booked on 13 charges. According to the Fulton County records, he is 6’3 and 213 pounds, with “blond” or “strawberry” hair.
Outside the intake entrance, dozens of media outlets squeezed in tents behind a tight barricade, not allowed to move from their spot while Trump was inside. Reporters jockeyed for spots near the front of the barricade and took photos of the orange glow the sun cast over the jail as it set.
Over thirty officers from the Sheriff and Secret Force departments guarded the area outside of the jail, and dozens of SUVs and police cars blocked the Jefferson Avenue entryway. Some officers stared hard at the reporters, while others relaxed and chatted with co-workers while Trump was inside.
Less than 25 minutes after Trump was booked, he was released on a $200,000 bond as per his lawyers' agreement earlier this week with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The motorcade zoomed out of the building, as quickly as it came.
The majority of Trump’s 18 other co-defendants in the case have already surrendered, including Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff who was booked and released from the Fulton County Jail Thursday afternoon. The main charges in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' 98-page indictment against the group are related to racketeering and conspiracy.
Binsbo Vo, a Vietnamese immigrant who traveled from Orlando, Florida to protest Trump’s arrest, said “everyone knows” that Trump is innocent and being unfairly persecuted.
“Trump loves the country, Trump loves the people, Trump loves America,” he said. “Everything he does, he does it for the country. So I believe him fully.”
Vo and his partner, Tring Li, showed off their head-to-toe MAGA outfits to fellow protesters and media outlets.
19-year-old Malcolm Davis, outfitted in a suit and a red tie, said that the former President had “changed his life.” Trump was first elected in 2016, when Davis was 12.
“His kind of firebrand way of approaching things inspired me, it’s something you don’t see often,” Davis said. He described the indictments as a witch-hunt.
Around 10:30A.M, a counter-protest – the first of the day – 64-year-old Lorie Arberta, approached the group of Trump supporters with signs that read “Do Not Let Trump Make a Fool of You,” and “Trump’s Secrets and Lies Exposed.” Quickly, Arberta was circled by the protesters and hounded with questions. A tall, heavily tattooed Trump supporter mocked her, claiming she was paid by the left to come protest. He asked her repeatedly “for a hug,” and came close until she squirmed away.
Arberta told the Post that she was a non-aggressive person and respected the protestor’s right to be there. All she asked was that the MAGA supporters “put their phones down and think.”