Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally. Trump was the target of an assassination attempt over the weekend at a similar rally. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore

Some on social media are likening former president Donald Trump’s weekend rally in Waco to a cult after a choir made-up of people arrested over the Jan. 6 insurrection sang a retooled version of the national anthem.

The song consisted of lines from the “Star Spangled Banner” sung in a melancholy tone with Trump chiming in at certain intervals to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

During the rendition sung by the Jan. 6 choir, images of the Capitol riot played in the background, according to Austin-based KXAN news broadcaster Ryan Chandler.

Trump’s performance of his own cut-and-paste version of the national anthem led some on Twitter to compare the former president and his followers to a cult.

“Traitor Trump and his cult followers,” Twitter user @LaraLiberal wrote. “He tried to overthrow a legitimate American election to install himself as dictator. These followers are all traitors to the USA.”

“I guess they couldn’t afford the rights to ‘Deutschland Uber Alles,'” chimed in @Rick_Horowitz, referencing the Germany’s national anthem during the Nazi era.

Indeed, some speculated that Trump’s decision to host his first rally in Waco was no coincidence. The event was held during the 30th anniversary of the Waco siege, during which ATF agents raided the compound of the Branch Davidian doomsday cult.

Trump’s remixed version of the national anthem, “Justice For All,” made headlines after its brief stint as the No. 1 downloaded song on iTunes. All proceeds from download reportedly go toward defending those charged with crimes during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

A handful of San Antonio residents have either been jailed or charged in connection to the attempted coup, including a father and son sentenced to 36 months probation and an Alamo City man sporting a Trump cape who’s been charged with federal misdemeanors.

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This article appears in Mar 22 – Apr 4, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...