Trump's New Jersey rally 'truly stunning': Concha
Fox News contributor Joe Concha reports on what he saw at the former president's rally in New Jersey on "Fox & Friends Weekend."
Critics of President Biden are lambasting his beach vacation in Delaware while contrasting the Mother's Day weekend getaway to former President Trump's massive rally in the historically blue state of New Jersey on Saturday.
"Supporters camped out overnight at the beach for a Trump rally that starts at 5PM today in Wildwood. Joe Biden can’t fill up a broom closet without staff, media, and angry protesters (sic)," one X user under the name "Bad Hombre" posted Saturday.
Trump held a beachside rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Saturday evening as at least 80,000, and up to 100,000 supporters, joined the 45th president in the historically deep-blue state. Simultaneously, 24 miles across Deleware Bay, Biden arrived at his home in Rehoboth Beach for Mother’s Day.
Biden’s trip followed a fundraising event in Seattle, where he was greeted by local leaders such as Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., as well as a group of left-wing anti-Israel protesters holding signs that read "Traitor Genocide Joe Free Palestine" and "Genocide Joe Must Go," the Seattle Times reported.
Crowds gather on the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, for former President Trump's rally on May 11, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
As of last fall, Biden was on course to spend about 40% of his presidency on vacation, compared to Trump reportedly spending 26% of his time outside Washington, D.C., when he was in office and President Obama's reported 11% of vacation time, the New York Post previously reported.
Social media commenters jumped at comparing Trump’s massive rally on the Jersey Shore to Biden spending the weekend at his Delaware beach house.
"Crooked Joe Biden will soon head to his beach house for a weekend of rest. SAD!" RNC Research posted on X in response to a video showing the massive crowds at the South Jersey beach.
Former President Trump's rally drew tens of thousands to Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
"The crowd in Wildwood, NJ keeps growing. People have been camped out and even slept on the beach. Trump is not set to speak until 5pm est today. No one would camp out to meet Biden," X account The Political Pom posted.
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President Biden and first lady Jill Biden relax at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Aug. 2, 2023. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images/File)
"Meanwhile Biden goes on vacation to the beach in Delaware and not a single person is there to rally for him," another X account posted alongside video of crowds lining the streets in anticipation of Trump.
"CROOKED JOE BIDEN COULD NEVER," the Trump War Room posted alongside beach footage showing the massive crowd.
"The crowd in Wildwood, NJ keeps growing," X account The Political Pom posted. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
"Biden ignores questions as he wraps up a day of fundraising – and heads to the beach for a weekend of rest," RNC Research posted.
Another X account posed a question for a poll that asked, "80,000 people attended a Trump rally in Wildwood, New Jersey. Could Biden ever get this many people to a rally?"
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On Saturday, Fox News Digital spoke to Trump rally attendees who described happily waiting on the beach for the former president and foreseeing big Trump wins in November.
Large crowds gather on the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, as they wait for former President Trump to speak at a rally on May 11, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
"I think this country needs to change, although we already know what Trump's all about," said one supporter who identified himself as "Carlos." "So, that change is just going to come right back to us because that's what we need. We need Trump because I don't think Biden is just getting the job done right now. Some of it's his fault. Some of it is probably the people around him. But I think we need Trump back to get this country back to where it needs to be."
When asked about Trump’s prospects in November, Carlos pointed to the large crowd and said, "Take a look."
Former President Trump is shown at his campaign rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
"There’s probably about six to 7,000 people waiting in line and probably more. [The line] goes all the way back to the entrance. So, you’re looking at 35 to 40,000 people at this venue right now," he said, noting that some people had been waiting since Thursday for the venue to open.
An attendee named "Lisa," who traveled from Westchester County, New York, described herself as a "convert" supporter of Trump despite having come from a long line of liberals in her family.
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"It's just like something overnight shifted in the culture that I didn't realize," she said. "I was taking stuff at face value, and the minute the walls came crumbling down, I just started [going] deep into everything."
Rally attendees describe happily waiting on the beach for the former president and foreseeing big Trump wins in November. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
Trump was joined by New Jersey Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who also left the Democrat Party for the GOP under the Trump administration. He described the Wildwood event as historical for the Garden State.
"This has got to be the biggest political rally in the history of New Jersey," Rep. Van Drew told the crowd. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
"This has got to be the biggest political rally in the history of New Jersey," Van Drew told the crowd.
A common theme amid the lengthy rally, which wrapped up around 8 p.m., was the argument that Trump will win the historically deep-blue state come November.
Former President Trump's rally drew tens of thousands to Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
"We’re going to win New Jersey," the GOP front-runner told the crowd to exuberant cheers.
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The rally drew Trump supporters from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York as well as other states. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
"As you can see today, we’re expanding the electoral map because … we’re going to win the state of New Jersey," Trump said. "I think we’re going to win them all. All across America, millions of people, so-called blue states, are joining our movement based on love, intelligence and a thing called common sense."
In addition to New Jerseyans, the rally also drew a large crowd from the key battleground state of Pennsylvania as well as attendees from deep-blue New York and elsewhere.
Trump focused on the economy and inflation through much of the event, highlighting that the prices of everything from hot dogs to chicken and gasoline shot up during the Biden administration.
The rally drew Trump supporters from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York as well as other states. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)
"The Biden price hikes are continuing to drain over $1,000 from the typical New Jersey family budget every single month," Trump said.
"The Biden price hikes are continuing to drain over $1,000 from the typical New Jersey family budget every single month," Trump told supporters. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
"On day one, we will throw out Bidenomics, and we will reinstate MAGAnomics," he said. "And we’re going to bring manufacturing, tourism and other industries back to New Jersey like we’ve never seen before."
Trump lambasted Biden as a "moron" and the "worst president that we’ve ever had" in comments to the raucous crowd.
"He’s surrendering our college campuses to anarchists, jihadist freaks and anti-American extremists who are trying to tear down our American flag. They want to tear down every single place they go," Trump said before calling on Biden and the Democratic National Committee "to return the donations of all antisemites, American haters and financiers of chaos on our campuses."
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The Biden campaign referred Fox News Digital to a campaign email titled "'Juggernaut' No More - Trump’s Non-Campaign Peddles Desperate Spin" when asked about the rally and criticisms Sunday morning.
"Republicans* are begging for support from Trump’s broke campaign," the email states. "The calls are coming from inside the GOP. We told you the campaign was broke, understaffed, driving moderate voters away, and can’t build the campaign infrastructure necessary to win 270 electoral votes in November. Republicans across battleground states are saying the same exact thing, and sounding the alarm about the prospects of the Trump campaign."
The massive and potentially historic rally in New Jersey comes as Trump continues his trial in New York City, where he faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. The former president has denied all charges against him. Trump, who is under a gag order amid the trial, has repeatedly slammed the case as a "scam" promoted by the Biden administration ahead of the general election.
Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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