Just before Trump supporters broke into the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump incited a crowd of protesters in DC, promising to demolish any Republicans who opposed him and pinning all hopes of overthrowing the election on a vice -president who has no power to do anything.
“You have to make your people fight, and if they don’t fight, we have to beat the hell out of those who don’t fight. We will let them know who they are, ”Trump said in an incoherent speech at a major protest in DC on Wednesday to coincide with the official counting of votes from the Electoral College by Congress.
“It almost looks like they are going out of their way to harm us all and harm our country,” he added of the elected officials.
But as he spoke, Vice President Mike Pence issued a lengthy statement saying he could not, and would not, block the votes of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College on Wednesday – essentially condemning Trump’s last fantasy path to winning the presidency.
Late Wednesday afternoon, some supporters migrated from the protest to the doors of the Capitol, where they broke into the windows, crushed the police and forced the building to be closed.
Previously, through a chorus of “bullshit” from the crowd of MAGA fanatics, Trump attacked the “pathetic” and “weak” Republican establishment, attacking Senator Mitt Romney, who said Wednesday morning that Trump had “disgraced” that of the presidency ”and essentially caused defeats in the second round in Georgia by insisting that the election was rigged.
He attacked majority leader Mitch McConnell and Georgia governor Brian Kemp, whose results of the second round of the state on Tuesday put Democrats within reach of the Senate majority.
Trump asked the crowd to vote for Kemp “hell out of office, please,” before claiming that Kemp’s approval ratings had “reached a record high” as one of the “dumbest governors in the country”.
Trump’s decision to twist the knife even further in the Republican Party came just moments before Congress was set to count the votes of the Electoral College of all 50 states and DC in the final step to certify the next president.
At least 12 Republican senators have signaled their intention to oppose their states’ votes, which will trigger hours of debate, but it is almost guaranteed to have no impact on the election result. Pence then certifies the result in a largely ceremonial act.
The objections are also apparently to show. Voters officially cast their votes on December 14, and Biden defeated Trump 306-232 a month earlier. Biden is now set to open on January 20.
“You will have a president … who was voted on by stupid people.“
“You will have a president … who was voted on by stupid people,” Trump said in a disapproval to 81 million Biden voters.
Although Pence has no power to reverse Electoral College votes, Trump has mounted an extraordinary campaign to use his VP’s scapegoat for his loss, prompting some far-right Trumpists, such as Georgia’s lawyer, L. Lin Wood, to demand that Pence is accused of treason.
“Mike Pence will have to defend us, and if he doesn’t, it will be a sad day for our country, because you have sworn to defend our Constitution,” said Trump.
He again insisted without foundation that Pence has the power to contest the election result, stating that “one of the leading constitutional lawyers in our country” said his deputy has “the absolute right to do so”.
“All Vice President Pence needs to do is send him back to the states to recertify, and we become president, and you are the happiest people,” Trump insisted, claiming that he had just spoken to Pence.
In his statementhowever, Pence stated that he does not believe he has “unilateral authority to decide which electoral votes to count.”
“It is my thoughtful judgment that my oath to support and defend the constitution prevents me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” said Pence.
Trump later replied on Twitter, writing that Pence “did not have the courage to do what should be done to protect our country and our constitution … the US demands the truth!”
Despite Trump’s relentless crusade, election officials insisted that there was no evidence of widespread electoral fraud. Former attorney general Bill Barr also concluded that there were no offenses that could have changed the outcome of the election.
Trump’s mind, however, cannot be influenced. He called Barr on Wednesday for “change” and insisted that Congress “show strength” by overturning election results because they are “rigged”.
“You will never get back to our country with weakness,” said Trump.
When Trump concluded his hour-long speech, encouraging participants to “walk down Pennsylvania Avenue”, some of the president’s supporters were already fueling chaos on the Capitol lawn. A crowd broke through barricades and crossed the lawn while others started throwing objects and trying to enter the building.