‘[It’s like] a family reunion’ Thousands of Texans attend Waco Trump rally

WACO, Texas (KXAN) — Thousands of excited Texans attended Trump's first major rally of the presidential cycle in Waco Saturday.

One Trump fan in the crowd was Karen Girsham, who drove an hour and a half from the Dallas area to see Trump speak for a second time. She attended another rally in Conroe, Texas, in Jan. 2022.

"It was like you were at a family reunion," Girsham said. "You were with like-minded people that made you feel like you knew everybody there [and] we were all there for one reason: That's Donald Trump."

Girsham said that she looks forward to Trump's run for a second term in office. She said she thinks Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has hinted at a presidential run, could beat Joe Biden in the general election but that Trump is her pick.

"He had us going in the right direction -- best president in American history," she said.

Also in Waco from Dallas was Republican activist Brian Bodine. He said it makes sense that Trump chose the Lone Star State to have his first major presidential rally. 

“I think taking back the country starts in Texas,” Bodine said. “Liberty is strong here in Texas. And I think the [former] President knows that,” he continued. 

Bodine said that DeSantis is a promising Republican politician, but still lacks the level of popularity that Trump has. 

“DeSantis is eloquent, he's polished, no doubt he would have a great domestic policy, but he could not turn out a crowd this big at a rally,” he said. 

On whether he thought Trump’s impending indictment would have any impact on Republican’s support in the election, Bodine said it would only excite Trump supporters. 

“It's going to drive his support amongst the base here in Texas,” Bodine said.