'God, guns and Trump': Thousands turn out for Texas rally

In his first public appearance since speculating a week ago that he would soon be arrested, Donald Trump lashed out against the multiple criminal inquiries that have bedevilled him since he left office in January 2021.

At an airfield rally in Waco, Texas, in front of thousands of supporters, the former president called the New York City investigation into hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels an expletive.

"The district attorney of New York under the auspices and direction of the 'department of injustice' in Washington, DC, is investigating me for something that is not a crime, not a misdemeanour, not an affair," he said, before belittling Ms Daniels' personal appearance.

Every piece of his personal, financial and business life, he said, has been "turned upside down and dissected" - but professed that he was "the most innocent man in the history of our country".

For the past week, Mr Trump has been posting increasingly menacing statements about "death and destruction" if he were to be indicted on his social media website, but he avoided any such dire warnings during his speech. And earlier on a sunny afternoon in Waco, Texas, the gathering felt more like the carnival-atmosphere campaign rallies of Mr Trump's 2016 presidential bid.