On Tuesday, Donald Trump announced that he would be “speaking at the SAVE AMERICA RALLY tomorrow on the Ellipse at 11 a.m. Eastern. Arrive early… BIG CROWDS!” The president has yet to show up as he’s spent most of the morning tweeting, but even if he’s a no-show, (UPDATE: only an hour late) the event attendees are a real greatest hits of his cronies, including attorney Rudy Giulani, MAGA duo Diamond and Silk, and failson Donald Trump, Jr. (whose voice was shot by 10:30 a.m.).
Trump has heavily promoted the Wednesday portion of the event, touting it on Twitter as a “BIG Protest Rally” that “could be the biggest event in Washington, DC, history” — one aimed at pressuring members of Congress to stop the “steal” of the election from him… In other tweets, he echoed the rhetoric speakers at the rally used by calling antifa “a Terrorist Organization” and cited the size of the gatherings to put pressure on Republican senators who so far have not joined his effort to overthrow the election.
The real MVP of the rally, however, was the person in charge of the music.
Giulani took the stage to “Macho Man” (conservatives love the Village People, who knew?) before ranting about election fraud. “If we are wrong, we will be made fools of. But if we are right, a lot of them will go to jail!” he yelled to the dangerously “massive” crowd. “So let’s have trial by combat… I’m willing to stake my reputation, the president is willing to stake his reputation on the fact that we’re going to find criminality there!”
The DJ also played “I Tried So Hard” by Linkin Park; multiple Elton John songs, including “Candle in the Wind” and “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” (a Trump favorite); and “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion, because if there’s one song to get people fired up, it’s the one from the sinking ship movie. Either the DJ is trolling, or Trump & Co. lack self-awareness. It’s honestly hard to say which is more likely (it’s both).
Rudy Giuliani arrives with "Macho Man" as his entry music pic.twitter.com/D2cuirmEyI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 6, 2021
Meanwhile, “My Heart Will Go On” is playing at the pro-Trump rally in DC pic.twitter.com/wFWTuoYZ8N
— Eric Morrow (@morroweric) January 6, 2021
Linkin Park’s 2002 hit “I Tried So Hard” is playing over a movie montage at the Trump rally today. pic.twitter.com/VsunLRa28C
— The Recount (@therecount) January 6, 2021
The DJ’s work did not go unappreciated.
So far they’ve played Elton John’s Candle in the Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and now Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding lolol https://t.co/NquiuVJiCA
— scar (@scarlettrabe) January 6, 2021
“Funeral for a Friend,” “My Heart Will Go On,” some DJ is mad trolling Trump’s MAGA rally in DC today.
— Meredith @ GAMA Expo (@mplacko) January 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/seankent/status/1346852562188849152
Does anyone know how to tip the DJ at the Trump rally? Do we venmo $10 or something?
— Jason Puckett (@JasonPWBTV) January 6, 2021
Watching a crowd of Proud Boys listening to @celinedion's my "Heart Will Go On" while waiting for @realDonaldTrump is my new favorite thing about the 2020 election. #MAGA pic.twitter.com/E4k7fRIAjM
— Matt Hildreth (@mhildreth) January 6, 2021
Look, I’m a DJ, so I know this: Trump rally is now full troll mode as they are playing “Funeral For A Friend” right now.
— Jon Williams (@radiojondeek) January 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/o_ema/status/1346844861442486273
https://twitter.com/FirenzeMike/status/1346830013761527811
The lyrics to the song playing ahead of Trump’s speech are “I tried so hard, and got so far, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter.” https://t.co/tGGdgefzaW
— elan gale (@theyearofelan) January 6, 2021
The music choices at the MAGA rally feel like the DJ is trolling attendees: Fortunate Son and PRIDE classics? OK…
— Sara Machi (@saramachi) January 6, 2021