Donald Trump: "God Bless the U.S.A."

President Donald J. Trump waves to military personnel along flight-line Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, as he prepares to board Air Force One for his flight to Orlando, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

At National Review, John Hirschauer explains the moments just before President Trump’s speech at his recent Orlando campaign kickoff rally. He writes (abridged):

The heart of the Trump movement — a reservoir of disaffection and righteous anger — was on full display at the president’s official reelection campaign launch. ( Orlando)

What a turnout!” The president began his 2020 campaign launch in much the same way he did in 2015, when he made his now-infamous descent of the Trump Tower escalator and made his first of many observations about crowd size.

The sound of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” which had been blaring since the end of First Lady Melania Trump’s introduction, began to wane as the bellowing cheers of Trump supporters filled the caverns of the Amway Center in Orlando.

The optics were nothing if not carefully cultivated; the President stepped back from the microphone to imbibe the deluge of applause and “USA” chants descending from the far reaches of the stadium rafters.