Donald Trump has once again returned to the rally stage with his first campaign-style event since leaving the White House.
The former President had a similar routine from when he left office however, reprising his election grievances and baseless claims of fraud as he returned to the rally stage on Saturday for his first campaign-style event since leaving the White House.
Addressing the crowd of thousands at Ohio's Lorain County Fairgrounds, near Cleveland he said: "This was the scam of the century and this was the crime of the century."
The event was held to support Max Miller, a former White House aide who is challenging Republican representative Anthony Gonzalez for his congressional seat.
Mr Gonzalez was one of 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach Mr Trump for his role in inciting the deadly January 6 insurrection at the Capitol building. Mr Trump has vowed to back those who run against them.
While he praised Mr Miller as an "incredible patriot" and a "great guy" who "loves the people of Ohio", Mr Trump spent much of the rally fixating on the 2020 election.
He still insists he won the poll, even though top state and local election officials, his own attorney general and numerous judges, including some he appointed, have said there is no evidence of the mass voter fraud he alleges took place.
"The 2020 presidential election was rigged," he told the crowd, which at one point broke into a "Trump won!" chant.
"We won that election in a landslide."
President Joe Biden's victory was thoroughly validated by the officials who reported finding no systemic fraud.
The rally, held five months after Trump left office under a cloud of violence, marks the beginning of a new, more public phase of his post-presidency.
Trump is planning a flurry of public appearances in the coming weeks. He'll hold another rally in Florida over the July Fourth weekend unattached to a mid-term candidate and will travel to the southern border in the coming week to protest Mr Biden's immigration policies.
The rally came as Mr Trump, who has continued to tease the possibility that he will mount a comeback run for the White House in 2024, faces immediate legal jeopardy.
Manhattan prosecutors informed his company on Thursday it could soon face criminal charges stemming from a wide-ranging investigation into the former president's business dealings.
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