It sounds like Republican voters in the New Orleans area are like others around the country. There is a mix of those who continue to support Donald Trump for president, no matter what, and those who have decided to move on to other candidates.

Trump was in New Orleans Tuesday evening. He made a stop at Cafe du Monde before heading to Old Metairie for a fundraiser at a supporter’s home. He was asked if he is worried about the two indictments and the prospect of more to come. His response was exactly what everyone would expect. Nope. He’s not going to say he’s concerned, especially to the press.

With reporters, cameramen and photographers perfectly positioned to capture his moves, Trump strolled from his vehicle into the quintessential New Orleans beignet factory, waved to the cheering throng and stopped to make brief remarks to the media.

“We have a lot of crooked people running our nation,” he said. “Our country is failing. We have to turn it around. That’s very important.”

Trump then turned around, walked three steps and ordered “the best you have” to server Kitty Giroir at the take-out window.

Giroir handed him a café au lait and a white bag with three beignets. He gave her a $100 tip for the staff and departed, less than five minutes after arriving.

“I’ve had a lot of celebrities come through,” Giroir, a seven-year employee, said afterward when asked whether she was excited.

Quintessential New Orleans landmark in the French Quarter, quintessential comments from Trump. The generous tip is a nice touch to the story. I’m kind of surprised he didn’t pick up the tab for those in the place, as he usually does when he makes a food stop. Oh well. C’est la vie.

I love the original Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter. It’s a sentimental touchstone in my life. Trump was served a classic order with the cafe au lait and 3 beignets. Though, I seriously doubt Trump ate them as he traveled to his fundraiser. Powdered sugar all over his dark suit? No way.

A local conservative talk radio show host said that Trump’s bond with his supporters is unbreakable. They think the indictments are abusive and unfair, which makes them support Trump even more.

Even voters who are looking at other candidates for 2024 think that the indictments are abusive and unfair, that’s the truth. Many people believe that the indictments are abusive and yet still are looking elsewhere in 2024. Both can be true at the same time. Polls show that Trump is losing ground with Democrats and independents that previously supported him.

A Baton Rouge-based pollster conducted a national survey of Republican primary voters. John Couvillon found that the results were much like the results found in other polls. 83% of Republicans think Trump did a great job as president and 61% have a favorable opinion of him. Overall, 53% prefer Trump to the other candidates in the primary. He thinks the national polling data would play out the same in Louisiana.

The fundraiser was at the home of Joe Canizaro, a retired banker and developer. He has been a friend of Trump’s for many years. He was pleased with the results of the event. Interest was better than he expected and he exceeded the fundraising goal. He set the number at $1.75M and expects that number to grown to $2M when it’s all over. Tickets were $23,200 per person. Those who contributed $100,000 got to participate in a roundtable conversation with Trump. Canizaro isn’t worried about Trump’s legal problems. “Nothing I see in the news frightens me. He’s capable of handling himself and his point of view. So far I haven’t seen a reason to believe he’s a criminal.”

The event was co-hosted with Boysie Bollinger, a retired shipbuilder. The two men served in Trump’s campaign in Louisiana in 2016 and 2020 when Trump won Louisiana both times. Canizaro and his wife have contributed $833,000 to Trump and the Republican Party since 2017. Bollinger and his wife have contributed $765,000 to Trump and the Republican Party since 2017.

Another big donor still in Trump’s camp is Eddie Rispone. He narrowly lost his 2019 gubernatorial campaign to replace Gov. John Bel Edwards. Trump campaigned for him twice during, the runoff. He donated to the fundraiser but was not able to attend. Rispone thinks the DOJ and FBI are corrupt and “Now we really have the evidence.” True dat. All that being said, Rispone wishes Trump would act more like Reagan and get along with political enemies. “If he could have a little more Reagan, a little more diplomacy, that would be great,” Rispone said. “But he has a strong backbone.”

And, another New Orleans businessman who has been a major donor to Trump attended the fundraiser that Canizaro hosted for Trump in 2019, during Trump’s time in office. He’s decided to sit this election out. “I’ve decided to be uninvolved for now,” he said.

Trump was greeted at Louis Armstrong International Airport by about 125 supporters. Trump spent about 10 minutes shaking hands and signing autographs. Those supporters included Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. Landry is a frontrunner in the state’s gubernatorial race. Trump has endorsed him.

A group of 30 protesters, an LGBTQ rights group, stood across the street from the fundraiser. They chanted, “Lock him up!” They reportedly also shouted profane slogans at Trump and at Landry. A resident of the house where the group was protesting turned on the sprinklers to try to get rid of them but they stayed. They shouted, “Thank you!”