PALM BEACH, Fla.—As the leader of the nation’s largest grassroots club supporting former President Donald Trump, Larry Snowden felt disquieted as he headed toward the Miami courthouse where he knew that Trump would make history in an unenviable way.
Yet Snowden, president of Palm Beach-based Club 47 USA, says he was uplifted by what he witnessed while driving from his home in Boca Raton, Florida, about 45 miles away from the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami.
“I saw thousands of people out supporting President Trump. I only saw one person that was anti-Trump,” Snowden told The Epoch Times on June 14, a day after Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges. Trump is the nation’s first former president to face not only state charges but also federal ones. Court proceedings are being set in a New York state court and in the Miami federal court. Additional accusations could be filed in Georgia and Washington, where probes continue for his opposition to the 2020 election results declaring Democrat Joe Biden the winner.
“It is distressing that this is actually happening in our country,” Snowden said, as Trump continues his quest to become a three-time winner of the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. Trump won in 2016 and served as president from 2017-2021. He’s now seeking to displace Biden from the White House in the 2024 race.
Snowden acknowledged that, despite his observations of overwhelming support for Trump en route to the Miami courthouse, he did later see video footage showing “there was a lot of opposition” to Trump, too.
Still, Snowden contends: “Somebody had to look real hard to find these people who were not in total support of President Trump.”
Placards and Flags
People waving placards, Trump flags, and American flags lined both sides of the streets as he drove through Miami, Snowden said.
“Just seeing that in a city that’s not known to be an ultra-conservative city was refreshing,” Snowden said. “Seeing people with tears in their eyes was just very moving to me.”
This subtropical urban community leans Democrat, aligned with Biden. Many other parts of Florida are dominated by Republicans. The state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, is widely considered to be Trump’s most formidable challenger for the GOP’s nomination.
Among 1.5 million voters in Miami-Dade County, about 436,000 are Republican; 544,000, Democrat; and 482,000 with no party affiliation, according to state data. Whoever wins each party’s nomination would be aiming to snare many of those undeclared voters, which could sway the election results in their favor. Both Trump and Biden face multiple challengers for their party’s nomination in the 2024 election. So far, both lead the pack, according to opinion polls.
Trump’s popularity has made him a target for those who want to torpedo his re-election campaign, Snowden said.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that this is an effort to interfere with the election. And the extent that the other side, that the Left, will go to, to try to accomplish their objectives, is the worst example of the Left’s election interference that I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime,” said Snowden.
Snowden said that, while he’s a superfan of Trump, he doesn’t expect coverage to always be favorable. However, he says it is reasonable to expect that coverage be fair and balanced. He says that is a rarity, especially when it comes to Trump.Now 77—Trump’s age—Snowden said he has been involved in politics for all of his adult life. He has been a staunch supporter of Trump since the beginning of his first presidential run in 2015. Snowden is known for his tireless efforts to boost Trump. “All I am is a volunteer,” he said.
The continued attacks on Trump—by Democrat prosecutors, federal bureaucrats, and liberal media reports—seem to be backfiring, he said.
They Just Don’t ‘Get’ It
“The enthusiasm I witnessed tells me that the media, the Left, just don’t ‘get’ it. They are trying so hard to ‘kill’ this man,” Snowden said.
“But every step of the way, they are making this man more popular with average Americans—with the people that actually vote in middle America.”
Snowden’s Club 47 USA was founded in 2018 as “Club 45 USA,” indicating its support of Trump as the nation’s 45th president. The club changed its name because Snowden and others firmly believe Trump will prevail in the 2024 contest and be inaugurated as the 47th president.
The club, which has more than 17,000 people on its mailing list, routinely draws upwards of 1,000 people to its monthly gatherings in Palm Beach County. Snowden says that, as far as he knows, the group is America’s largest in-person Trump club.
Snowden’s group inspired people to start a Pennsylvania organization, AmFirst 47, short for Trump’s “America First” policies.
Both groups report they’ve grown. On June 13, the day Trump appeared in court, 50 new people signed up for Club 47 USA, Snowden said.“People just randomly find our website; it just keeps on growing. And that tells me: These people feel like I do,” Snowden said. “And that, to me, is reassuring.
“No matter what is going on in the present administration to try and disqualify President Trump, the attitude of the people is doing the exact opposite. The attitude of the people is becoming more supportive than ever.”
Despite the gravity of trumps legal issues, Snowden says he remains confident that Trump will overcome.“I truly believe that President Trump will be reelected, and there is an end in sight,” he said. “I have faith in American system, and American people that the right thing is gonna happen.”
