Former President Donald Trump will hold his first large rally in his quest for the 2024 GOP nomination in Waco on Saturday evening. The rally is sure to draw thousands of excited Texans. This is a problem for Texas and the Republican Party— an embarrassment, really. Trump isn’t the most calculating man in the world, but he doesn’t totally campaign off the cuff: There’s a reason he’s chosen to boost his campaign in the Lone Star State, and it’s not because it’s the greatest state in the union (which it is). He’s using Texas as a jump-off point because he believes Texas Republicans love him — and he’s probably right about that. We’ve learned that Texas has the second-most defendants related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, behind Florida. About 870 people were arrested across the board and 265 of those were charged with crimes — more than two dozen were from the North Texas area. Two-thirds of those have been convicted, either through a guilty plea or trial. TOP VIDEOS Top Videos 00:29 01:30 GRAPHIC: Fort Worth police officersshoot man who fired at them To a man like Trump, this undoubtedly demonstrates an extraordinary level of loyalty. He figures if dozens were arrested, hundreds more were there and there were thousands who wanted to go to Washington that day but couldn’t. Mar 18, 2023; Tulsa, OK, USA; Former President Donald Trump waves to the crowd March 18 before the NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma. (Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports) Brett Rojo USA TODAY NETWORK There’s no reason for Trump to have a stranglehold on Texas — or for Texans to continue their love affair with him. They owe no fealty to him, not after everything that has happened since 2020. Trump made his mark as president and had a good tenure for someone with no political background. The federal judiciary has improved, he appointed three originalist judges to the Supreme Court, he implemented some solid tax breaks, and he seemed strong enough on foreign policy that his tenure was a time of relative peace.

Former President Donald Trump will hold his first large rally in his quest for the 2024 GOP nomination in Waco on Saturday evening. The rally is sure to draw thousands of excited Texans. This is a problem for Texas and the Republican Party— an embarrassment, really. Trump isn’t the most calculating man in the world, but he doesn’t totally campaign off the cuff: There’s a reason he’s chosen to boost his campaign in the Lone Star State, and it’s not because it’s the greatest state in the union (which it is). He’s using Texas as a jump-off point because he believes Texas Republicans love him — and he’s probably right about that. We’ve learned that Texas has the second-most defendants related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, behind Florida. About 870 people were arrested across the board and 265 of those were charged with crimes — more than two dozen were from the North Texas area. Two-thirds of those have been convicted, either through a guilty plea or trial. TOP VIDEOS Top Videos 00:29 01:30 GRAPHIC: Fort Worth police officersshoot man who fired at them To a man like Trump, this undoubtedly demonstrates an extraordinary level of loyalty. He figures if dozens were arrested, hundreds more were there and there were thousands who wanted to go to Washington that day but couldn’t. Mar 18, 2023; Tulsa, OK, USA; Former President Donald Trump waves to the crowd March 18 before the NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma. (Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports) Brett Rojo USA TODAY NETWORK There’s no reason for Trump to have a stranglehold on Texas — or for Texans to continue their love affair with him. They owe no fealty to him, not after everything that has happened since 2020. Trump made his mark as president and had a good tenure for someone with no political background. The federal judiciary has improved, he appointed three originalist judges to the Supreme Court, he implemented some solid tax breaks, and he seemed strong enough on foreign policy that his tenure was a time of relative peace.

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