Throughout Saturday there have been rallies and protests in D.C. These follow Trump’s losses in Wisconsin and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Things are looking grim for Trump supporters. Earlier this week the federal court case spearheaded by Texas, but backed by 17 other conservative states, has been unanimously shot down in the supreme court. Though Trump, supporters, and conservative states seemed hopeful that the lawsuit may help in their efforts to overturn the election, however, the result of the court case was handed back after just a few hours of consideration. This loss, though a significant one, hasn’t deterred the president, who still claims he’s won the election in legal votes.
Following the loss in the U.S. Supreme Court, Trump’s base suffered a loss in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The ruling official, Judge Brett H. Ludwig, is a Trump appointee. Ludwig stated that the ruling was, “a matter of law and fact.” While this seems to be the final word on the results of the 2020 election, President Trump has once again not conceded. He has continued to rally his base via social media with posts like this:
Protests Follow Court Decisions
Protesters, counter-protesters, and the like have taken to the streets of the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. in an attempt to make their voices heard. While it seems there is little hope left for Trump supporters, they’ve come out in full force. Though organizers of formal protests have made an effort to keep their rallies peaceful, there have been many clashes and incidents around the city as they’ve gathered in and around Freedom Plaza.
The largest formal rally, colloquially named Million MAGA March, was organized by a conservative activist group “Women for America First”. They estimated fifteen thousand attendees while applying for their permit, it is unclear how accurate that number represents the number of people attending.
Though the Million MAGA March is the large formal gathering taking place, there have been other informal protests popup around D.C. before and after the Wisconsin court decision. Speakers at rallies have continued claiming Trump’s victory. Protesters with megaphones can be heard at the rallies shouting things like “four more years” and “stop the steal.”
Informal Protests and Counter Protests Get Violent
Following formal events, members of the notorious alt-right activist group “Proud Boys” have made an appearance to protest on Black Lives Matter Plaza, only a few blocks from Freedom Plaza, where the Million MAGA March was taking place. Proud Boys were met with counter-protesters. The two groups required separation by lines of police as things became heated. Proud Boys speakers, using megaphones, mocked COVID-19 precautions after telling attendees to wash their hands. Many Proud Boys Protesters were seen without masks.
Million MAGA March protesters and Proud Boys protesters were warned by leaders to stay away from specific areas in the city where counter-protests were taking place by an Antifascist group called “Refuse Fascism”. Throughout the course of Saturday, there have been more than 20 arrests of individuals with various charges. There have been multiple clashes of protesters, both violent and verbal.
Trump in Marine One Does Flyover
At one point near mid-day, Trump flew over Freedom Plaza’s rally in Marine One, his presidential helicopter, on the way to the Army VS Navy football game in New York. In the afternoon formal protests thinned and attendees dispersed around the city where some began informal demonstrations and protests. Though the formal rally is over, Trump supporters, Proud Boys, and counter-protesters remain protesting around the city. Similar rallies have sprung up in local cities around the nation.
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