'I love Trump': Trump makes appearance in Houston

Former President Donald Trump has the support of at least one Harris County man.

Will Garrity of Spring told KHOU 11 reporter Anayeli Ruiz, at the Toyota Center on Saturday, Dec. 18, for the former president's appearance during former Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly's "History Tour," what he thinks of Trump.

"I love Trump," Garrity said in Ruiz's article published the same day. "I am a big Trump supporter, and we have to do what we can to support the man."

Garrity was among attendees, some of whom stood out in the rain for almost an hour before getting inside the Toyota Center, who heard O'Reilly interview Trump about the still on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the Jan. 6 insurrection that immediately followed his "Stop the Steal" rally near the White House, and Trump's relationship with other world leaders.

Trump lost his bid for a second term in office during last year's general elections but, despite that, tried a number of strategies to pressure the nation into allowing him to remain in office.

The Houston Chronicle reported in its own coverage of the event that Trump told O'Reilly that he wanted to deploy 10,000 troops the day before the rally but that didn't happen.

"I would have insisted they had proper protection," Trump said in the Chronicle's news story.

The Chronicle reported that questions about text messages sent during the insurrection, that recently were made public, didn't come up during O'Reilly and Trump's 90-minute question-and-answer session. In those texts, O'Reilly's former Fox News colleagues and Trump's son, Donald Jr., tried to get Trump to make a public statement earlier than he did to reduce the violence.

Trump did say during his Houston Rally that he felt "love in that crowd" during his rally the preceded the insurrection that killed four, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was overpowered and beaten by rioters.

Trump also said that had he managed to remain in office, Russia would not be a threat to Ukraine, because he has the respect of Russian President Vladimir Putin and many other world leaders. Now President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump during last year's general election, doesn't have the respect of Russia and China, Trump said.

"I had a great relationship with both of them," Trump said in the Chronicle's coverage.

KHOU 11's coverage reported that its political analyst Bob Stein said "the tour is a chance for the former president to get some attention."

The joint appearance was part of a four-city tour that wrapped up with a Dallas appearance on Sunday, Dec. 19.