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The sweltering heat and heightened security did not deter former President Donald Trump’s loyal base from rallying in front of the Wilkie D. Ferguson federal courthouse ahead of his historic arraignment on 37 felony counts that could send him to prison for the remainder of his life.
Mr. Trump, 76, is expected to plead not guilty at the 3 p.m. arraignment on charges related to his possession and handling of classified documents he took from the White House when he left office in 2021.
A group of his supporters who gathered a few steps from the courthouse doors said that’s exactly what he should do. Mr. Trump is being targeted by the Biden administration and a politicized Justice Department, they said, and he is innocent of all the charges.
“It’s an unjust, rogue Department of Justice, and it’s unequal treatment,” said Daniel Stolworthy, who flew to Miami from South Hampton, New Hampshire, to show his support for Mr. Trump in front of the courthouse.
Mr. Stolworthy, who was decked out in a red Trump hat and a Stars and Stripes suit and tie, warned that the country is at a tipping point and is “ready to fall off this cliff.” He said Mr. Trump, who is leading in the Republican primary polls and beats President Joe Biden in some general election polls, can turn it around.
“We have to be willing to stand up and fight for what we believe, every one of us,” Mr. Stolworthy said.
While Mr. Trump huddled with his legal team a few miles away at his Doral resort, hundreds of media assembled in front of the courthouse with their trucks, tents, cameras and other equipment awaiting the former president to arrive.
The media easily outnumbered the Trump supporters in the morning but the square near the courthouse became increasingly populated with the pro-Trump faction as the day wore on.
