President Trump held off on claiming victory Saturday as the attorney general pored over the Mueller report — but his supporters were happy to declare it for him.
About 200 backers rallied outside Trump Tower, wearing MAGA hats and waving American flags, in a previously planned rally for his reelection that turned into a celebration.
“I came out to show my love and support for President Trump and to celebrate the fact, as we all knew there would be — no Russia collusion,” said Ariel Kohane, 47, of the Upper West Side, who sported a “Fake News” hat and showed off a yarmulke with “Trump 2020” on it.
“We as Trump supporters knew that all along. Now, we officially heard that.”
The contents of the report are not yet public, but supporters saw the fact that Special Counsel Robert Mueller sought no new indictments as a sign of Trump’s vindication.
“It’s a funny thing when Mueller says, ‘I want to make it public’ and Trump says, ‘so do I,’” said Keith Kagan, 57, of Gravesend, wearing a MAGA hat.
“It’s a bunch of baloney,” said Joanne, a New Jerseyan carrying a bible who would not give her last name.
“I mean all they do is focus on our president and try to tear him down. Why would they do that? He is our president, we have enemies all over the world. Why would you try to make an enemy of the man who’s trying to help and support your country?”
North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, who chairs the Freedom Caucus, pointed to the statement from Attorney General William Barr that said that none of Mueller’s investigative requests were denied by the DOJ.
“Translated.” Meadows tweeted.
“Mueller was not ‘obstructed.’ Hopefully this receives the same attention as the endless (and incorrect) speculation from the left that Mueller would be fired.”
Trump, who was at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the weekend, has not yet made any public comments on the Mueller report. But he did surprise a crowd at a fund-raiser Friday night for a local Republican organization.
The crowd erupted in cheers when president and First Lady Melania Trump popped in before the keynote speaker, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) took the podium.
“If Lindsey’s speaking, I want to come down here for two reasons,” Trump quipped, “No. 1: he’s a great speaker. And No. 2, I know if I’m here, he’s not going to say anything bad about me.”
He also introduced his wife as “our First Lady, who is more popular than I am.”
While Trump was on the golf course, supporters were out in force on Twitter. One popular comment, “Why isn’t #NoCollusion trending?”
