Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Thousands believing Trump won hold rally
Neo-fascist group Proud Boys are among the participants
WASHINGTON » Fervent supporters of President Donald Trump rallied in Washington on Saturday behind his spurious claim of a stolen election and swarmed his motorcade when he detoured for a drive-by on hisway out of town.
“I just want to keep up his spirits and let him know we support him,” one loyalist, AnthonyWhittaker of Winchester, Va., said from outside the Supreme Court, where a few thousand assembled afteramarchalong Pennsylvania Avenue from Freedom Plaza, near the White House.
A week after Democrat Joe Biden was declared the winner of the election, demonstrations in support of Trump took place in other cities. Fury at the prospect of a transfer of executive power showed no signs of abating, taking a cue the president’sunrelenting assertion of victory in a race he actually lost.
A broad coalition of top government and industry officials has declared that the Nov. 3 voting and the following count unfolded smoothly with no more than the usual minor hiccups — “the most secure in American history,” they said, repudiating Trump’s efforts to undermine the integrity of the contest.
In Delray Beach, Fla., several hundred people marched, some carrying signs reading “Count every vote” and “We cannot live under a Marxist government.” In Lansing, Michigan, protesters gathered at the Capitol to hear speakers cast doubt on results that showed Biden winning the state bymore than 140,000 votes. Phoenix police estimated 1,500 people gathered outside the Arizona Capitol to protest Biden’s narrow victory in the state.
The crowd in Washington was beginning to gather Saturday morning when cheers rang out as Trump’s limousine neared Freedom Plaza. People lined both sides of the street, some standing just a few feet away from Trump’s vehicle. Others showed their enthusiasm by running along with the caravan.
They chanted “USA, USA” and “four more years,” andmany carried American flags and signs to show their displeasure with the vote tally. Aftermaking the short detour for the slow drive around the site, themotorcade headed to the president’s Virginia golf club.
Among the speakers was a Georgia Republican newly elected to the U.S. House. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has expressed racist views and support for QAnon conspiracy theories, urged people to march peacefully toward the Supreme Court.
The marchers included members of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist group known for street brawlingwith ideological opponents at political rallies.
The march was largely peaceful during the day, with some tension along the margins as counterdemonstrators heckled the Trump supporters with chants of “You lost!”
By the late afternoon, a few hundred anti-Trump demonstrators engaged in shoutingmatches with scattered groups of Trump supporters. One group of Trump supporters were hit with eggs and one person lost his redMAGA hat, which was set on fire to cheers.
Multiple police lines blocked Trump supporters from entering the Black Lives Matter Plaza area as night fell. Those who managed to get inside the area were doused with water and saw theirMAGA hats and pro-Trump flags snatched. Some demonstrators and counterdemonstrators traded shoves, punches and slaps.
The “Million MAGA March” was heavily promoted on social media, raising concerns that it could spark conflict with antiTrump demonstrators.