Many of Donald Trump’s most dogmatic supporters see a mass protest in Washington, DC, on January 6 – just two weeks before 2021 inauguration day – as their last chance to disrupt President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. But for the president himself, it’s just another day to complain.
Two people familiar with the matter say Trump has been telling advisers and close associates in recent days that he wants to continue to fight in court after Jan. 6 if members of Congress, as expected, certify the electoral college results.
“The way he sees it is why would I ever let this go? … what would that mean to me?” said one of the sources, who spoke extensively with Trump about post-election activities to overturn his Democratic opponent’s decisive victory.
The president’s exact plans for the January 6 events remain unclear, and it was common for him to lend his support to these rallies or protests through enthusiastic-sounding tweets, only to stop doing much else. As of last week, Trump has been asking certain aides and allies what they think would be good ideas for him to mark the occasion, such as a speech, an overpass, or a recorded video, the sources said.
The day should not be lacking in drama. Several House Republicans, as well as Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), have signed up for a quixotic, destined effort to object to the certification of the electoral college results. Wednesday’s protesters want to pressure more Republicans to join – or even, literally, stop Democrats from reaching Congress.
‘Must block Dem and [Republicans in Name Only]”Read a planning chart on pro-Trump forum” The Donald, “showing a map of the main streets around Congress that protesters want to block.” There are 535 politicians and 3,500 security guards. “
On the day itself, protesters plan to meet in the northeast corner of the Capitol, where they will hear from a list of speakers including Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Trump Adviser Roger Stone and Rep-elect. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has supported the QAnon conspiracy theory. Trump has promoted the protest on Twitter and urged his supporters to attend.
“Be there, will be wild!” Trump tweeted on December 19.
The White House, the president’s legal team, and Trump campaign spokespersons did not comment on this story. But among Trump’s most devoted followers, the idea that he would keep fighting even after the 6th is a no-brainer.
“You can’t give up,” Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, a Trump ally who has donated money and has spoken on several attempts to challenge the 2020 election, told The Daily Beast. ‘Like these people [around the president] Don’t get up, they are just as bad as the people who tried to commit the crime. “
For Lindell, the pursuit of reversing the election results is not only a matter of politics, but also of religion.
“God chose Donald Trump for eight years, not four,” he said, adding that “even if Biden is inaugurated, there is no statute of limitations. [on election theft]. Yes I keep investigating this [even if he’s sworn in], and I will not stop bringing this to the attention of the American people. “
While others have not spoken in such theological tones, they have shown no less force in encouraging Trump’s challenge of the results. In an appearance on an online talk show, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn predicted that millions of people would show up on January 6. That prediction appears to seriously overestimate the actual attendance, following an earlier November rally in Washington. Trump’s election defeat drew tens of thousands of people to Washington at best.
The January 6 rally comes after two previous protests in Washington in November and December failed to save the election for Trump or halted the near-perfect record of defeats in court. But the mood of the protesters ahead of the January 6 protest has become even more desperate.
Trump diehards from all over the country have organized their trip to Washington at “The Donald” forum. One of the hottest topics on the site is how protesters can bring weapons to DC, which would in almost any circumstance count as a local crime under Washington’s strict gun laws. Others have spoken of breaking into federal buildings or perpetrating violence against law enforcement officers trying to keep them from storming Congress.
“I think it will literally be war that day,” was a popular comment from Wednesday. “Where we will storm offices and physically remove and even kill all DC traitors and reclaim the land.”
Both November and December rallies in Washington saw violence, especially after nightfall. And that probably seems to be the case during this upcoming rally. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio claimed in a post on the conservative social media network Parler that some Proud Boys would dress in black to disguise themselves as left-wing ‘antifa’ protesters.
“Watch out, January 6 – you won’t know who the fuck is next to you,” prominent Proud Boy Joe Biggs said in a video posted on Parler.
However, rally supporters faced a setback on Monday when the Hotel Harrington, a budget hotel in the nation’s capital, revealed it would be closed during the protest. The hotel and its bar, Harry’s, have become hubs for MAGA activities in the city, even after the bar was fined for violating COVID-19 restrictions after being packed with Trump supporters. But both the hotel and the bar announced plans to close around the rally a few weeks after four people were stabbed at the bar following a December 12 pro-Trump event.
In response, Trump supporters went online and came up with unorthodox plans to find other places to sleep, claiming that despite the wintry weather, they would instead camp in parks around the city.
“May God take his revenge on Hotel Harrington,” Ali Alexander, a lead organizer of Wednesday’s rally, said in a Twitter video Monday.