Photo: Jonathan Swan/Axios
"Former President Trump told thousands of supporters last night that the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago was an attack not just on him but also on them, Axios' Jonathan Swan reports from the rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Why it matters: Trump in real legal jeopardy for retaining scores of classified documents after leaving the White House is using the investigation to instill a sense of shared persecution with his fans.
"They're trying to silence me, and more importantly they're trying to silence you," Trump said in an arena that was packed to the rafters his first rally since the Mar-a-Lago search.
"But we will not be silenced, right?"
The crowd was enraged at the Justice Department and FBI. Trump is plugging into and revving up that sentiment by connecting him and his audience as victims.
Trump stoked the anger by saying the FBI rifled through former First Lady Melania Trump's wardrobe.
Being there: Trumpers say they feel under siege from "the regime," and that a Biden security apparatus is watching and hunting them.
There was a bizarre moment when a helicopter flew over Trump fans waiting outside the arena in a line that snaked into the parking lot.
The crowd started chanting: "F--k Joe Biden." People flipped birds at the chopper and filmed it with their iPhones.
Many assumed they were being surveilled by the Biden "regime" a word commonly used by Trump supporters to convey contempt and illegitimacy.
Spotted at last night's rally. Photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Between the lines: The crowd's energy was with extreme leaders including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and state Sen. Doug Mastriano, the Trump-endorsed candidate for Pennsylvania governor.
Greene, a MAGA favorite, was greeted as if she were Trump.
People yelled out "first female president" and "the real first lady."
Mastriano has told supporters this election is vital to ensure he and his hand-picked secretary of state can control the Keystone State's election machinery in 2024.
Mastriano got a visceral crowd reaction in stark contrast to polite clapping for Dr. Mehmet Oz, the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate.
Oz is trying to put some distance between himself and Mastriano, to appeal to more moderate voters. The rally was a rare joint appearance."
-Axios
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