Many of Donald Trump’s most dogmatic supporters see a massive protest in Washington, DC, on January 6 – just two weeks before 2021 Inauguration Day – as his last chance to hinder 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 that, in recent days, Trump has told advisers and close associates that he wants to continue fighting in court after Jan. 6 if members of Congress, as expected, end up certifying the results of the polling station.
“The way he sees things is: Why should I let this go? … How would that benefit me? ” said one of the sources, who spoke at length with Trump about post-election activities to nullify his Democratic opponent’s decisive victory.
The president’s exact plans for the January 6 events are still unclear, and it is common for him to support these demonstrations or protests through tweets that sound enthusiastic, and then not do much more. Since last week, Trump has asked certain advisers and allies what they think would be good ideas for him to mark the occasion, such as a speech, a flyby or a recorded video, the sources said.
The day should not be without drama. Several House Republicans, as well as Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), joined a quixotic and doomed effort to object to certifying the results of the electoral college. Participants at Wednesday’s rally want to pressure more Republicans to join the effort – or even, literally, to prevent Democrats from reaching Congress.
“You should block Dem and [Republicans in Name Only]”Said a planning chart posted on the pro-Trump forum“ The Donald ”, showing a map of the main streets of Congress that protesters want to obstruct. “There are 535 politicians and about 3500 guards.”
On the same day, protesters plan to meet in the northeastern corner of the Capitol complex, where they will hear a list of speakers including Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Trump’s adviser, Roger Stone and elected representative Marjorie Taylor Greene ( R-GA), which supported the QAnon conspiracy theory. Trump promoted the protest on Twitter, encouraging his supporters to attend.
“Be there, it will be wild!” Trump tweeted on December 19th.
The White House, the president’s legal team and Trump campaign spokesmen have not commented on this story. But among Trump’s most devoted followers, the idea that he would continue to fight even after the 6th is not that difficult.
“You can’t give up,” said MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Trump ally who funded and spoke in several efforts to challenge the 2020 election, to The Daily Beast. “If these people [around the president] don’t end up getting up, they are just as bad as the people who tried to commit the crime ”.
For Lindell, the pressure to reverse election results is not just 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 sworn in, there is no statute of limitations [on election theft]. Yes, I will continue to investigate this, [even if he’s sworn in], and I will not stop trying to spread this to the American people. “
While others did not speak in such theological tones, they showed no less vigor in encouraging Trump’s challenge to the results. In an appearance on an online talk show, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn predicted that millions of people would appear on January 6. This prediction appears to be bound to overestimate the actual number of participants after a November protest in Washington. Trump’s electoral defeat drew tens of thousands of people to Washington at best.
The January 6 demonstration comes after two previous protests in Washington in November and December failed to save the election for Trump or halt his near-perfect track record of court defeats. But the mood of the protesters before the January 6 protest became even more desperate.
Trump’s diehards across the country organized his trip to Washington at the “The Donald” forum. One of the hottest topics on the site is how protesters can bring guns to DC, which would be considered a local crime under almost all circumstances under Washington’s strict gun laws. Others talked about breaking into federal buildings or committing violence against police officers who try to stop them from invading Congress.
“I’m thinking it will be a literal war that day,” read a popular comment published last Wednesday. “Where are we going to break into offices and physically remove and even kill all DC traitors and recover the country.”
Both the November and December rallies in Washington witnessed violence, especially after dark. This also seems to be the case in this next rally. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio said in a post on conservative social media network Parler that some Proud Boys were dressed in black to disguise themselves as left-wing “antifa” protesters.
“Watch out, January 6 – you won’t know who the hell is standing next to you,” said prominent Proud Boy Joe Biggs in a video posted on Parler.
Supporters of the rally, however, suffered a setback on Monday when 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 centers of MAGA activity in the city, even after the bar was fined for violating COVID-19 restrictions after being overloaded with Trump supporters. But both the hotel and the bar announced plans to close the rally, a few weeks after four people were stabbed near the bar after a pro-Trump event on December 12.
In response, Trump supporters were furious online and came up with unorthodox plans to find other sleeping arrangements, claiming that they would instead camp in parks around the city, despite the wintry climate.
“May God get his revenge on the Harrington Hotel,” said Ali Alexander, one of the main organizers of Wednesday’s rally, in a video on Twitter on Monday.