Donald Trump was back in his native New York on Monday, the first visit since leaving the White House during which he seemed to want to keep a low profile.
• Read also: Biden’s stimulus package, an immediate boost to growth
The former US president (who now resides in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, but has kept his triplex atop the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue) was only seen briefly, upon his arrival late Sunday Evening: A New York Post photo shows him waving from the back of a car.
Monday at midday, twenty of his supporters demonstrated peacefully at the foot of the skyscraper, flanked by dozens of police. Some waved a “We Love Trump” banner, while others flew a giant “Trump 2024” flag.
“For two weeks, Trump has teased us” on a possible candidacy in 2024, said Dion Cini, one of the organizers of the rally. “No more joking, let’s be serious: we want him to be a candidate in 2024, we want him to serve two terms,” he added.
Wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap, this supporter kept his eyes riveted on the top of the tower, in the hope of seeing the ex-president or one of his sons, Donald Jr. or Eric. .
No one among those supporters seemed to know whether the 74-year-old ex-president, who stepped down on January 20, would come down to greet them, as he has often done with his supporters.
The return of the real estate mogul to New York (Democratic stronghold where Joe Biden won a majority margin of the vote in November) is for the moment discreet: no official communication on the visit, the agenda and the duration not specified .
When questioned, the Secret Service, responsible for the protection of former American presidents, did not disclose any information.
Via social networks, some anti-Trump said they hoped to see the tycoon have trouble with the law during this stay: the Manhattan prosecutor as the New York State prosecutor are investigating in parallel suspicions of bank fraud, fraud tax or insurance fraud targeting the billionaire.
At the end of February, after a long legal battle, the Manhattan prosecutor said he had finally obtained the eight-year tax returns he was demanding from Donald Trump.
But no one knows when the investigation will end or whether it will lead to an indictment of the former president.