Thousands rally behind Trump at DC march
WASHINGTON — Fervent supporters of President Donald Trump rallied in Washington on Saturday behind his claim of a stolen election and swarmed his motorcade when he detoured for a drive-by on his way out of town.
“I justwant to keep up his spirits and let him know we support him,” Anthony Whittaker of Winchester, Virginia, said from outside the Supreme Court, where a few thousand assembled after a march along Pennsylvania Avenue near the WhiteHouse.
A week after the presidential race was called for Democrat Joe Biden, their fury at the prospect of a transfer of executive power showed no signs of abating, taking a cuefromapresident unrelenting in asserting he won.
The crowdwas beginning to gather in the morning when cheers rang out as Trump’s limousine neared Freedom Plaza.
After making the short detour for the slow drive around the site, the motorcade headed to the president’sVirginia golf club.
Thelargely peaceful “Million MAGA March” was heavily promoted on social media, raising concerns that it could spark conflict with anti-Trump demonstrators, who have gathered near the White House in Black Lives Matter Plaza forweeks.
The march turned tense at night, with multiple confrontations as small groups of Trump supporters attempted to enter the area around the plaza where the anti-Trump demonstrators had gathered.
The Trump supporters were harassed, doused with water and had their proTrump gear snatched and burned, amid cheers. As night fell, police lines kept the two sides apart.
By early evening, police had arrested at least 10, including four on firearms charges, according to media reports. Videos on social media showed demonstrators and counterdemonstrators trading shoves.