Trump endorses Dave McCormick and speaks about his criminal trial at Lehigh Valley rally; supporters also gathered in Bucks County for fundraiser

After speaking to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters at the Schnecksville Fire Company fairgrounds on Saturday night, former President Donald Trump ended his rally by referencing George Washington's stay at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War.

He said America is a "nation which lost its way" and will "soon be a great nation again."

Former President Donald Trump said Saturday evening that he's endorsing Dave McCormick for Senate.

McCormick, who did not attend Saturday's rally, is the only candidate running in the April 23 Republican primary. McCormick had sought Trump's endorsement in 2022 when he ran for Senate, but Trump instead endorsed Mehmet Oz, who won the GOP primary but went on to lose the general election to Sen. John Fetterman.

Trump talked Saturday in Schnecksville about the manhunt last year for Danilo Cavalcante, who escaped from Chester County Prison and was on the run for two weeks.

Trump told the audience "you remember" Cavalcante, whose escape left the suburban collar county on edge.

Former President Donald Trump called the trial he faces Monday in Manhattan a "Biden Trial."

When Trump mentioned the gag order he has in the case, the crowd roared with boos.

Former President Donald Trump opened his rally in Schnecksville by commenting on Iran's attack on Israel.

"God bless the people of Israel, they're under attack right now," Trump said after taking the stage just before 8 p.m. in the Lehigh Valley.

The sun was setting over the Lehigh Valley about 20 minutes after Donald Trump was expected to speak, and there was no sign of the former president.

Glen Panza was keeping warm in a beanie as he waited with his sister, Linda Shelleman. Both MAGA supporters came from Carlisle.

Sylvia Johnson, 84, a Bucks County resident who attended the Saturday afternoon fundraiser at Newtown Athletic Club, said she loves former President Donald Trump and wanted to support him.

“The feeling in the room was the warmth towards him,” she said. “We just love him. It’s something he has that no other politician has.”

Paula Ireton, who came from central Delaware to see former President Donald Trump in Schnecksville on Saturday, had a prime view of the stage, where soon she would soon see him in person for the first time.

When asked what drew her to Trump, she took a long pause. Then she told her family's story.

With a little over an hour before former President Donald Trump was scheduled the stage, supporters in Schnecksville began to crowd the grassy fairgrounds.

There were chants of "USA," and lots of noshing on fried food from local trucks. The voices of Frank Sinatra, Elton John, and Johnny Cash spilled over the speakers.

Lucie Yackel and Taylor Deppi, both students at Council Rock High School North, were two of six mega-supporters who stuck around to watch both Trump’s arrival and departure.

Yackel, 16, said she grew up in a Republican family. She has been interested in politics since 2020, and may want to pursue a political career after high school. She said she likes how Trump is “not afraid of people.”

Police cars and black vans slowly turned out of the Newtown Athletic Club at 5:15 p.m. Saturday following a private fundraiser. A handful of loyal supporters of former President Donald Trump held their phones up to take video, hoping to see Trump, and a line of police officers stood nearby.

A handful of supporters had waited since Trump’s arrival earlier in the day, which had drawn hundreds. Others came by shortly before his departure, including a woman who brought her baby.

Outside the health club in Newtown, Joe Biden toilet paper was displayed in a mobile shop along with Donald Trump stickers, lanyards, rubber duckies, and flags — as well as hats and T-shirts of countless shades and varying levels of appropriateness.

The store owners Mike and Monica Domanico, of Bucks County, set up shop at Trump events as well as gun shows.

Lucie Yackel, 16, and Taylor Deppi, 18, both high school students who live in Newtown, sat on the curb at 4:30 p.m. in hopes of getting a better look at former President Donald Trump when he left the event.

Yackel said that while a lot of people were waving from the backseat during Trump’s arrival, she saw someone flash a thumbs up — Trump’s signature move — and thinks it could have been him.

As heavy winds gusted through the Lehigh Valley, well over a thousand people shuffled to the Shnecksville Fire Company fairgrounds toward the stage where former President Donald Trump is set to speak at 7 p.m.

Those gusts unfurled a sea of MAGA and thin blue line flags that were hoisted from pick up trucks and flag poles.

Just before 3 p.m., hundreds of supporters stood crowded behind police tape across the street from the Newtown Athletic Club. Eager to get a glimpse of former President Donald Trump, they cheered on a motorcade that was followed by several police cars, black vans with tinted windows, and other vehicles that entered the venue.

But it was difficult to decipher which car Trump was in. One man, who did not appear to be Trump, had his front seat window down and reached his hand out to give a thumbs up and wave to the crowd. Many supporters were disappointed after the cars went by and they knew they couldn’t see him.

A caravan in support of President Joe Biden, organized by Indivisible Bucks County, looped around Newtown Athletic Club and U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s office Saturday ahead of former President Donald Trump's arrival.

The caravan participants rallied “to display their support for Democratic ideas, to push back against the hateful MAGA rhetoric,” organizer Kierstyn Zolfo said.

Rebecca Kearney, 41, of Holland, voted for Hilary Clinton in 2016 and typically voted for Democrats before Trump became president. Kearney, a lifelong Bucks County resident, said she didn’t think Trump was serious coming from reality television, but once he became president she became a loyal supporter.

“I started to open my mind and realize what was going on — Trump was the person that was going to help us, and he did,” she said.

More than 200 supporters of former President Donald Trump, from children to seniors, were standing and waving flags in anticipation of his arrival outside the Newtown Athletic Club on Saturday afternoon. Music played from speakers and Trump fans shouted in excitement as cars drove by, honking in gusting wind.

“Donald Trump, baby!” one person shouted in excitement.

There are several reasons former President Donald Trump is doing a big rally in the Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

First, it’s a political battleground in a highly competitive swing state.

Former President Donald Trump is slated to be back in Pennsylvania for a fundraiser in Bucks County on Saturday — just 10 days before the state’s primary.

The fundraiser in Newtown will be hosted by several longtime GOP donors, including a health club owner who defied COVID closures in 2020. Tickets for the event start at $2,500 a person and go up to $250,000 for a host couple, according to the invitation.

Former President Donald Trump will be in Bucks County on Saturday for a fundraiser before heading to the Lehigh Valley for a rally.

Both areas are critical battlegrounds in Pennsylvania as Trump campaigns against President Joe Biden this year.