WASHINGTON – Thousands of protesters in red hats filled the streets here yesterday to demand “four more years” for Donald Trump’s presidency, and to denounce, without proof, the “massive fraud” they insisted gave the election last month to Joe Biden.
Despite a stinging decision on Friday at the US Supreme Court – which snubbed a last-ditch effort by Trump backers to overturn Biden’s November 3 victory – those at the rally insisted their candidate won, and made their views loudly known.
Thousands gathered around Freedom Plaza, a few blocks from the White House, in a festive atmosphere.
It was a sizeable crowd, but noticeably smaller than a similar event a month ago, when 10,000 people converged near the White House in support of Trump.
“We’re not gonna give up,” said Luke Wilson, a 60-something protester who came all the way from the western state of Idaho.
“I believe there is a big injustice being done to the American people,” said Dell Quick, a regular at Trump’s political rallies. He brandished a flag defending gun rights.
Protesters offered no shortage of explanations for the vote result, even though it has been affirmed by state election officials – some of them Republican – and judges in several key states.
Every state has now certified Biden’s victory, giving the Democrat 306 votes in the Electoral College to Trump’s 232, with 270 required for election. Electors are to formally cast their votes tomorrow.
But, protesters insisted, as Trump has repeatedly done, that there was widespread fraud in the polls.
Some pointed to “foreign interference”, others to software that allegedly erased millions of votes for the president – but not those for other Republican candidates on the same ballots.
Quick told AFP that “there’s no way possible” that Biden was elected.
‘Stop the Steal’
Dozens of court cases alleging fraud or contesting the result have been decided, virtually all in Biden’s favour, with some judges offering stinging criticism of the lack of evidence.
But, that was not enough for Darlene Denton, who wore a “Trump 2024” badge on her sweatshirt.
“Nobody wants to hear evidence, nobody wants to hear cases, everything just gets thrown out,” said the 47-year-old, who came from Tennessee to support a president whom she said has given “a voice to the people”.
Trump, in stark defiance of the clear result and of US tradition, has refused to concede to Biden.
“Wow! Thousands of people forming in Washington (D.C.) for Stop the Steal,” he tweeted early yesterday.
“Didn’t know about this, but I’ll be seeing them!”
Not long afterwards, his helicopter lifted off from the White House grounds and passed over the crowd – many singing the US national anthem – as Trump headed to New York to attend the annual army-navy American football game.
Among the protesters, members of far-right militia group the Proud Boys were clearly visible in their signature black-and-yellow outfits, some wearing bulletproof vests, and they often drew cheers from others in the crowd.
Some blocks away, supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement held their own, much smaller, rally, chanting: “Nazis out!” – AFP, December 13, 2020
