by Sharon Rondeau
(Nov. 15, 2022) — In a segment of his “War Room” broadcast Tuesday, host Steve Bannon interviewed Trump’s political organization, “Save America,” Communications Director Liz Harrington for a preview of what 45th President Donald J. Trump plans to say at his 9:00 p.m. address from Mar-a-Lago.
“How big a deal is this, and what’s going to happen tonight?” Bannon asked Harrington almost immediately.
“This couldn’t be more huge,” she replied. “You already have people lining up on the bridge with American flags, and this is the most anticipated announcement for President Trump that he’ll make tonight, his decision whether he will run. It is the most anticipated that I think we’ve seen. I think the American people are really looking forward to it. They want hope, they want resolve, and that’s in President Trump. He’s the leader of the greatest political movement our country has ever seen. Everyone wants to be here, and the preparations for this have been enormous. We couldn’t be more excited, and we cannot wait to hear from President Trump tonight.”
Others Bannon spoke with Tuesday morning corroborated Harrington’s account of large numbers of people waiting since the early-morning hours outside Trump’s Florida resort to witness the address. “There is already a huge crowd down here right in front of Mar-a-Lago. The southern bridge has been packed; there has been tons of supporters of President Trump that are already showing up in anticipation for this evening. There are going to be thousands of members of the media and guests here tonight to hear what President Trump has to say, and the energy is absolutely magnetic,” War Room correspondent Jayne Zirkle told Bannon, who served as a key strategic in the early days of the Trump White House.
As for the level of enthusiasm of the “Trump base,” Harrington responded it is “through the roof,” recalling four rallies Trump held prior to the November 8 elections and specifically in LaTrobe, PA, when a rainbow appeared “before he came on,” and in Miami, FL. “President Trump wasn’t even on the ticket,” Harrington observed.
“There is an energy here and a spirit that we cannot waver on,” she continued, “and President Trump certainly is not. We know things are happening right now…with Arizona and everything else, but the MAGA base needs to know that President Trump is our General Washington here. He is the leader of this movement; this movement is not going anywhere, and it’s actually growing stronger and stronger by the day.”
Trump ran for re-election in 2020 and claimed a victory that was “stolen” from him by a confluence of factors including virtually unrestricted mail-in ballots, violations of state election laws, observers barred from counting areas and an FBI apparently not engaging in good-faith efforts to find evidence of fraud. Harrington’s reference to “Arizona” doubtless reflected the reported election disenfranchisement many in Maricopa County reported last week resulting in the declared losses of those Trump had endorsed, including Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. Now a “swing” state, Arizona was one of those Trump claimed he won handily in 2020 were it not for the multiple violations of law many voters and observers alleged.
Already a number of political pundits and strategists from Republican circles are urging Trump not to run in 2024, suggesting the party will improve its chances of winning with another candidate, particularly given the results of last week’s midterm elections billed beforehand as a “red wave.” For his part, Trump has defended his record of endorsements in the Republican primaries earlier this year as well as the re-election of Republican governors, Senate and House successes and the likelihood of a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Hopefully TODAY will turn out to be one of the most important days in the history of our Country!” Trump posted on TruthSocial early Tuesday, echoing his thoughts on Monday.
Trump’s remarks will be streamed live on GETTR, RSBN and Real America’s Voice.