Donald Trump gave a shout-out to a group of devoted supporters who follow him round the country in a speech this week – but it appears the president knows little about some of his most ardent fans.
Introducing his “Trump Accounts” investment program at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, the president broke off to point out a gaggle of people assembled in front of his lectern, most of whom were wearing signature “Trump 47” baseball jerseys.
“The Front Row Joes, I love these people,” he said. “I love these people. I think there are about 280… I don’t know what the hell they do, I think they make a lot of money, too.
“I’m hearing they’re very rich. They follow us. It’s a rock concert right? You have a good time, right? Thank you. They’ve been with me right from the beginning.”
Pointing to one of them, he asked: “How many have you done so far, do you think?… Four, five, six, close to a thousand, it might be! Well we love you, thank you very much!”
The Joes are among some of Trump’s most enthusiastic fans, with one member telling Mother Jones on the campaign trail in 2024 they had attended more than 60 rallies.
But while MAGA supporters might have been expected to applaud the president’s acknowledgement of their commitment, a counterpoint was offered by one former member online.
Trisha Hope, a self-declared “J6 activist” said she was previously a member of the group but had left last year after becoming disillusioned by the president’s response to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
“I was a Front Row Joe and this really bothers me,” she wrote in response to a short clip of Trump’s comments.
Hope said it was right for the president to pay tribute to the Joes because “they are incredibly loyal and are deserving of much more than they have been given by Trump.”
She went on to say that his comment about their supposed wealth was “completely fictional” and added: “This shows me how absolutely clueless he is on what these folks have sacrificed in order to support him.”
“They DO NOT MAKE MONEY!!” Hope continued. “In fact it costs them a GREAT deal of money and time to attend. They drive sometimes all night to get in line, they spend money on flights when driving isn’t an option.
“They sleep outside the venue sometimes for days often sleeping on pop up cots or just a pallet on the ground. They rely on whatever facilities they can find to relieve themselves.”
She then invoked former Marine Randall Thom, whom she credited as founding the Joes and who she said was killed in a car accident as he returned from a Trump rally on October 18, 2020, just prior to the presidential election.
“Randall never got any recognition from the Trump crew, he had hoped to get a job with the rally team but he could never get them to commit to him,” Hope said.
“I just couldn’t remain silent when I heard Trump talk as if the Front Row Joe’s are profiting from their rally attendance, it is the exact opposite.”
Another person responding to the event on X pointed to an alternative section of the audience, whom they dubbed the “Back Row Joes,” drawing attention to a man in a suit and pink tie who sat behind Trump mimicking his hand gestures and facial expressions throughout.
