MAGA favourite Marjorie Taylor Greene has attended a chaotic rally in protest against Donald Trump’s indictment in New York on Tuesday – as the former president is hit with a string of criminal charges over 2016 hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
On Monday, the Republican congresswoman – and staunch Mr Trump loyalist – upped sticks from her home state of Georgia and travelled to New York for the historic day.
During her chaotic arrival in New York on Tuesday, there appeared to be more members of the media than protesters present.
Ms Greene was joined by the New York Young Republicans – a group with ties to embattled congressman George Santos, who made a brief appearance at the rally before departing after being mobbed by the media. Ms Greene was also met by counterprotesters holding their own “emergency noise demo” to drown out her “hate speech”.
The New York Young Republicans at one point responded with a USA-chant.
Clashes between pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators took place, prompting the NYPD to try to separate the groups. Both camps were separated with NYPD barricades and community affairs officers between them.
Ms Greene took aim at New York Mayor Eric Adams, saying that “you send your henchmen down here to commit assault against people by making loud noises”.
According to Ben Collins of NBC News, the reason it was difficult to hear Ms Greene may have been because a Trump supporter handed out whistles. He was apparently unaware that Ms Greene was attending.
Reporters and camera crews far outnumbered protesters and counterdemonstrators in the small park across from the Manhattan criminal court.
Gregory Williams, originally from New Orleans, told The Independent that today brings some truth to the idea that “nobody is above the law” and shows that there remains “some strength in our democracy.”
Another rally attendee, Mike, wore an orange prison jumpsuit and Trump mask and wig, which he has been wearing at demonstrations since before Trump was in office.
“I’ve been wanting him in jail for seven years, and tomorrow is my birthday,” he told The Independent.
The counterprotesters at one point played YG’s F*** Donald Trump. The noise and music made it nearly impossible to hear any of the speakers using a loudspeaker on the pro-Trump side.
A Nazi was spotted wearing a skull musk at the rally, shouting at others to watch Europa the Last Battle, an anti-Semitic film, according to HuffPost.
Anti-Trump protesters used cowbells and whistles to drown out the pro-Trump demonstrators, who were heavily outnumbered by those showing up to show their support of Mr Trump’s arrest in lower Manhattan on Tuesday.
Ms Greene urged Americans to “take a stand” during her brief speech, large parts of which were drowned out by the sounds of counter-protesters.
She claimed that the government has been “weaponized” against Americans. “I’m here to protest and use my voice and take a stand. Every American should take a stand.”
“This is what happens in communist countries – not the United States of America,” she added. “We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats.”
“They’re taking our legal code, twisting it, manipulating it, and perverting it into something it was never meant to be,” she said. “Donald J Trump is innocent, this is election interference. DA Alvin Bragg is nothing but a George Soros-funded tool. He is a tool for the Democrats to try to hijack the 2024 presidential election. This is a travesty!”
Gregory Williams, originally from New Orleans, says today brings some truth to the idea that ‘nobody is above the law’
