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Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally on Saturday in Wellington, Ohio in support of his former aide Max Miller. Miller is seeking to unseat Republican Representative Anthony Gonzalez, who voted to impeach Trump in January.
Trump has continued to offer consistent criticism of the 2020 presidential election, calling on states to carry out audits and claiming the vote was "rigged" against him. There is little doubt the former president will raise the issue again in his remarks, which are set to begin at 7pm EDT.
He might also touch on subjects that have recently drawn the attention of elected Republicans, such as Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the U.S.-Mexico border. Here are some of the key topics Trump could discuss when he visits the Lorain County fairgrounds in Wellington on Saturday.
1. The 2020 presidential election
Trump has repeatedly issued statements claiming the 2020 presidential was "rigged" or "stolen" from him and called on Republicans in state legislatures to investigate the matter.
In a statement on Friday, Trump accused GOP leaders in Wisconsin of "working hard to cover up election corruption." Trump lost Wisconsin to President Joe Biden by around 20,000 votes.
"They are actively trying to prevent a Forensic Audit of the election results, especially those which took place in Milwaukee, one of the most corrupt election locales in the country. Don't fall for their lies!" he said.
His statement on Wisconsin is not isolated - Trump has continuously pushed unfounded claims that the 2020 election was rigged. It's a theme he's almost certain to return to on Saturday.
2. The Border
Building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and curbing the flow of undocumented migrants from Central America were central planks of Trump's 2016 campaign. With Republicans focusing heavily on events at the southern border to criticize Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump is likely to discuss it.
"The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in U.S history. It's an unmitigated disaster zone," Trump said in a statement on June 21.
Trump is very likely to attack the Biden administration on the situation at the border.
3. Teasing a 2024 run
Trump remains the most popular choice among Republican voters for the party's presidential nomination in 2024 and the former president is keenly aware of this. He's repeatedly hinted at an announcement on a third run for the White House.
He told Newsmax on Friday that he would make an announcement about 2024 "in the not too distant future" and "you're going to be thrilled" with the outcome of that election.
However, Trump has dropped hints about 2024 on many occasions since leaving office in January. While he may tease the crowd about his next big political move, don't expect any concrete announcements on Saturday.
4. Rudy Giuliani
Trump's personal lawyer and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had his law license suspended this week and the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division cited "demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public" that Giuliani made in attempting to advance Trump's claims about the election.
Trump responded to the court's decision by issuing a statement saying, in part: "All of New York is out of control, crime is at an all-time high—it's nothing but a Witch Hunt, and they should be ashamed of themselves."
As Giuliani's suspension is directly linked to Trump's unfounded claims about the 2020 election, it's more than likely the former mayor will be namechecked on Saturday.
5. New York's Trump Organization Investigations
The Manhattan district attorney's office informed Trump's lawyers that the Trump Organization could face criminal charges related to "fringe benefits" the company awarded to a top executive, according to The New York Times.
Though it is not yet clear who the executive is, widespread reporting suggests that Allen Weisselberg, the company's longtime chief financial officer, has been the target of investigations.
Last month, the New York attorney general's office joined a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization being carried out by the Manhattan DA. The New York AG's office had been conducting its own civil investigation.
Trump has previously claimed the investigation is "corrupt" and "in desperate search of a crime." He could use some of his speech to attack the investigation and the New York prosecutors once again.
6. Weighing in on Ohio politics
Trump is visiting Ohio to support a congressional candidate but he could weigh in on the state's Republican leaders, too.
Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor John Husted will not attend the rally on Saturday. DeWine cited a family conflict but Husted's office simply said he's "unable to attend."
The former president has been critical of DeWine in the past and has sometimes used rallies to attack local political leaders, including members of his own party. DeWine's 2022 primary challenger, former Representative Jim Renacci, will be in attendance and he is reportedly keen to win Trump's endorsement. It's not clear if he'll get it on Saturday.
Newsweek has asked former President Trump's office for comment.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more