Trump supporters flood battleground capitals in denial of results

PHOENIX— Their front lawns tell the story of why Gary Landi hasn’t had a conversation with his next-door neighbour in four years.

The side-by-side homes in the Estacada Village of Phoenix both have stucco exteriors and red shingled roofs in the traditional southwestern style. But while the neighbour boasts several large Trump flags on top of the house, Landi keeps his single Biden-Harris sign under his front window, to reduce the chances it’ll be stolen.

“It’s pretty divided,” Landi said, both of his fractious relationship with his neighbour and of Arizona as a whole during the 2020 presidential election.

“I mean they ignore me, I ignore them, so it’s fine, we don’t bother each other. But you know, it shouldn’t be that way.”

He’s hoping Joe Biden’s victory could change things for Americans across the country, and allow them to share a little more common ground.

“Joe Biden, I hope he can do what he’s been doing all his life and that’s working across the aisle and making people understand each other,” Landi said.

America discovered the results of the 2020 presidential election Saturday when the state of Pennsylvania was finally called for Joe Biden, putting him above the 270 electoral votes necessary to win. (The outcome in Arizona remained unclear.)

It was news longtime Democrats like Landi embraced with a large exhale and a hope that

Biden, as president, will succeed at quelling some of the deepest divisions that have stoked tension in America throughout Donald Trump’s four years in the Oval Office.

But as Landi celebrated and contemplated a more co-operative future, many Trump supporters were far from ready to accept the outcome of the election and turn toward thoughts of uniting the country. Following the lead of Trump himself, who has refused to concede the election to Biden, thousands of Americans pledging loyalty to the outgoing president flooded the cities of battleground states — including Phoenix, Atlanta, Detroit and Philadelphia.

Outside the capital building in Phoenix, at least 400 protesters assembled Saturday afternoon, chanting things such as “stop the fraud” and “count the votes.”

Echoing Trump, the crowd repudiated what they called “fake news” mainstream media sources and refused to believe Trump had really lost the election. Some cited claims, for which there is no evidence, of voter fraud reported on websites like 4chan and on social media.

Embedded in communities that support Trump, and knowing few friends and neighbours who support Biden, Don Eastman said he can’t believe Arizona would go blue.

“There’s so many weird things going on. With the show of support that Trump has had here in Arizona, there’s no visible support for Biden whatsoever,” Eastman said. “So it’s hard to believe that it’s all this close, quite frankly.”

Trump’s message, alleging voter fraud without evidence, has been amplified by Republican officials and elected representatives in key states, including Arizona.

Republican congressman Paul Gosar has been instrumental in galvanizing support for a dayslong demonstration at the Maricopa County elections centre in Phoenix, where Trump supporters have chanted things like “we’re watching you” at the officials counting votes inside.

Kelli Ward, chair of the Arizona Republican party, called Saturday for a hand recount in her state and said she didn’t think Trump should concede.

“The only people projecting are the media and I don’t believe the fake news,” she told reporters.