President Trump addressed a crowd of supporters on Wednesday during a rally in Washington, DC, as Congress prepared to confirm the election victory of President-elect Joe Biden.
He said the 2020 presidential election was against him, and he promised not to concede, as the inauguration day is just two weeks away.
“We will never concede,” Trump told the cheering crowd. ‘You do not concede if there is theft.
“It simply came to our notice then. They halted it as if they had never had an election before, “Trump continued, referring to what he calls” fake news media “and social media outlets.
“And by the way, they did not do a bad job last night,” he added, referring to by-elections in Georgia that would determine the fate of Senate control.
The one Democratic candidate, Rev. Raphael Warnock, has already been declared the winner of his race, and the other, Jon Ossoff, is with a narrow lead in the polls.
Trump speaks of a stage surrounded by signs for the “Save America March,” on a podium flanked by American flags fluttering in a cool DC breeze.
As with his signature “Make America Great Again” marches that have become the hallmark of two presidential campaigns, Trump is met by a sea of supporters adorned in red baseball caps and star-spangled shirts.
His remarks were preceded by a pre-recorded highlight of campaigns and speeches over the years, and a playlist that was heavy on classic rock, including Phil Collins ‘ominous’ In the Air Tonight ‘along with Journey’s’ Don’t Stop Believin ‘. “
Trump’s rally took place when Congress was to confirm the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, which the president has repeatedly claimed is being damaged by widespread, organized fraud without providing evidence.
Speakers who addressed the crowd in front of the president included his son, Donald Trump Jr., North Carolina’s freshman, Madison Cawthorn, and personal advocate Rudy Giuliani.
Prior to his diagnosis with the coronavirus, Giuliani was the architect for the numerous lawsuits of the campaign to stop Biden’s victory, most of which were not in court.
Wednesday’s certification vote served as a wedge among Republican lawmakers, with Trump loyalists like Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, from Texas and Missouri respectively, who pledged to challenge the result, with Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas among those stepping forward to recognize Biden’s victory. as legal.
Thousands of supporters traveled from across the country for the event, with local law enforcement and congressional security for possible unrest.
A judge earlier this week banned Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys group, the capital of the country, with accusations against him that he had vandalized a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic church and was arrested with high-capacity firearms magazines.