U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., December 23, 2020.
Tom Brenner | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Sunday said he will attend protests in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, the day Congress certifies Electoral College votes and declares President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
The president shared a video clip on Twitter encouraging supporters to protest the November election results and said he will be there.
Trump still refuses to concede to the race and continues to make baseless claims of voter fraud, which have been consistently rejected by state and federal courts as well as his own Justice Department.
The congressional joint session to count electoral votes is a routine procedure and marks the final step in reaffirming Biden as the winner.
A group of Republican senators and senators-elect are pushing to delay Biden’s certification on Wednesday, an effort that is unlikely to change the Electoral College tally that Biden won 306-232.
Demonstrators are planning to gather at the Washington Monument, the Freedom Plaza and the Capitol. The Proud Boys, a far-right group that has promoted violence, have vowed to attend incognito.
The nation’s capital has become a battleground for violent protests over the last few months. Thousands of Trump supporters gathered in November to protest the presidential election results in D.C. The demonstrations eventually turned violent and nearly two dozen people were arrested.
Protesters also clashed during rallies in Washington state and Washington, D.C. in December over the election results, racial injustice and pandemic restrictions. At least four people were stabbed in D.C. after a pro-Trump rally.