Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kari Lake headlined a sold-out book signing rally on Tuesday evening hosted by The Villages MAGA club at the Wildwood Community Center.
The VMC is a political action committee whose goal is to support former President Donald Trump and his agenda, candidates and policies. In the past, they have organized meet and greets, rallies and speakers for those purposes, including a birthday party for Trump in June.
Club President Tommy Jamieson and his wife Valerie of the Village of Bonita have never had such a turnout since they began the club last August. All 500 seats were filled as $200 VIP tickets and $50 general admissions tickets sold all the way up to the afternoon of the rally. Despite the event starting at 6:00 p.m., an excited line of supporters wrapped around the building as early as 4 p.m.
“The best part of events like this is seeing so many like-minded people having a good time,” said Tommy Jamieson.
After VIP guests received autographed copies of Lake’s new book Unafraid: Just Getting Started and took pictures with the three headliners, Guilfoyle gave the first speech of the night. She was met with several rounds of applause as she advocated for Trump and his policies. Trump Jr. followed his fiancé with a speech of his own, which was also well received by the audience. One of his points was a call to action to speak up about issues important to those assembled.
“We have to do more than exist,” said Trump Jr. “We have to push back.”
Lake closed out the evening by recounting her experiences with running in the Arizona gubernatorial election in 2022 as described in her book. The former television news anchor claimed the election was stolen from her and vowed to continue appealing her case with hopes to take it to the United States Supreme Court. She also stated she was considering running for a Senate seat in Arizona.
“You may have stolen my victory, but I’m not going away,” said Lake regarding those who she alleges rigged her election.
Attendees were happy to meet the three headliners and each other as the rally progressed. Frank Gorden, a retired member of the Navy, drove from Ocala for the opportunity to listen to Lake’s story. Della Striker bought a VIP ticket after just returning from West Palm Beach to see Trump on Saturday. She was delighted to see so many Villagers at the rally.
“To me this movement is like Woodstock. Everyone makes friends here, and it’s incredible to experience the love and passion,” said Striker.
Ryan Chamberlin and his wife Jenny were also present. Chamberlin won the special general election in Marion County for the Florida House of Representatives back in May, and he regularly attends events such as the rally. He voiced his support for both Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis.
“We love DeSantis, and we’re happy with Trump,” he said. “But we think there’s room for both.”
