Trump supporters gather in DC for peaceful Save America March before some storm Capitol
WASHINGTON — Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump braved the cold weather at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., Wednesday as they sought to show their support for the president and protest the certification of the Electoral College votes for the 2020 presidential election.
Trump supporters from across the country waited in line for hours to get into the Save America March, an event hosted by the Women for America First, a pro-Trump group. The event was one of many taking place on Capitol Hill as the results of the 2020 presidential election continue to be plagued by allegations of fraud.
Ahead of the protests, several Republican members of Congress announced that they would object to the certification of the electoral votes in a handful of contested swing states and called for a commission to investigate election irregularities.
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Immediately following the Save America March and the other protests, violence broke out on Capitol Hill as hundreds of Trump supporters and others stormed the United States Capitol while members of Congress were debating the certification of electoral votes.
Members of the Electoral College met in their respective state capitals on Dec. 14 to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Democrat Joe Biden received 306 electoral votes while Trump received 232 electoral votes. Congress is mandated by the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to count the electoral votes and members of the House and Senate have the ability to challenge results in certain states.
Following the breach of the Capitol, Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and evangelical leaders quickly condemned the acts of violence.
The “Save America March,” when it was gathered at the Ellipse, was not violent and had a positive atmosphere, although several attendees had choice words and hand gestures for members of the media.
In response to the violence that broke out at the Capitol following the event, Amy Kremer, chairwoman of Women for America First, said in a statement to The Christian Post:
“We unequivocally denounce violence of any type and under any circumstances. We are saddened and disappointed at the violence that erupted on Capitol Hill, instigated by a handful of bad actors, that transpired after the rally.
"Unfortunately, for months the left and the mainstream media told the American people that violence was an acceptable political tool. They were wrong. It is not.
“We stand by and strongly support the men and women of the Capitol Hill police and law enforcement in general and our organization played absolutely no role in the unfortunate events that transpired.
“What is truly sad, is that the misdeeds of a handful of people will overshadow the overwhelming success of the peaceful event — attended by hundreds of thousands of Americans — that we sponsored today.
“The movement that was launched by President Donald J. Trump is one that respects the rule of law, supports our law enforcement and believes that violence has no place in politics today.”
Several attendees of the Save America March spoke with The Christian Post to affirm their support for Trump and share their thoughts about the 2020 election. John Scoggins of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Kelly Edwards of Salt Lake City, Utah, spoke separately to CP, both said that they attended the “stop the steal” rally.
“It’s totally wrong what they did,” said Christie Nicholson from Idaho, Edwards’ sister. “Biden never won, Biden will never be my president, and [he’s] not who the people voted in and it’s a total disgrace to the United States.”
Rose Bowe and Becky Hicks from Nashville, Tennessee, told CP that they went to Washington "to support our president and fight for our country, to take it back because we believe if he is not re-elected … we may lose our country forever.”
Hicks added: “I’m here because the Constitution matters. Every vote should count. And this ridiculous no-gender, amen/woman-man, it’s just … it’s time for people to stand up and believe in something. Make a stand.”
“This country was built on God and it needs to stay on God, and this president is all about doing that … bringing this country back to God,” Rowe added.
After mentioning that “From Nashville all the way here, at least half the people that we’ve come in contact with were on their way to this,” Hicks contended that Trump “didn’t lose” and called for a full recount of the 2020 election, citing “so many discrepancies.”
Before the women expressed hope that “President Trump will pull off a miracle today,” Hicks stressed the importance of election integrity: “People fought and died for every vote.”
Anne from Cornwall, Connecticut, cited her admiration for the president as her main reason for attending the rally: “I’m a Trumper all the way. I got so excited when I saw him after his election. I actually didn’t like him before. I didn’t know anything about him. But because of what he’s done for the country, he’s the most admired man in the world right now. How could you not love him?”
Elizabeth “Beth” Smith, a California native and military member who is serving in Texas, shared her perspective on the 2020 election: “I’ve spent 21 years in the military. I’m all about the country.”
Smith said that she would have had no problem accepting the results of the election “if it had been a fair election and he lost.” She insisted that “that wasn’t the case at all. The evidence is very clear … I mean, hours and hours and hours … of evidence, of testimony, of video footage … All of these people are out here supporting our president and it’s amazing to see.”
Smith contended that people who believe that the allegations of voter fraud amount to a conspiracy theory “haven’t looked at the evidence” and asserted that “the conspiracy is on the part of the Democrats and anybody working to steal the election.”
Pastor Paula White, a spiritual adviser to Trump, asked that “every adversary against democracy, against freedom, against life, against liberty, against justice, against peace, against righteousness be overturned right now in the name of Jesus” as she delivered the invocation. “Let justice be done. Let we the people have the assurance of a fair and a just election. Hear our cry and turn our hearts to you.”
“God, I pray that you return the hearts of those who are in power and position to make decisions, to walk in your wisdom and to do justly today,” she added. White also thanked God for the president because “he has stood with Israel, he has stood with life, he has stood for righteousness, he has stood for the most vulnerable, he has stood to alleviate poverty, he has stood for religious freedom, he has stood for safety and protection, he has stood for a place, God, that few men could stand.”
As attendees anxiously awaited an address from President Donald Trump scheduled for 11 a.m., many other Trump supporters addressed the crowd. Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, a Democrat who has become an outspoken Trump supporter, used his speech to announce that he was “officially joining the Republican Party” as the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
Other speakers at the event included Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., as well as former New York City mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
As “Proud to be an American” by Lee Greenwood played over the loud speaker, the president began to speak to his loyal supporters. “We will never give up, we will never concede,” Trump vowed. “We will stop the steal.” During his speech, members of the crowd chanted “Fight for Trump!”
Like many of the other speakers, Trump stressed the importance of defeating Republicans who refuse to challenge the results of the election: “We have to primary the hell out of the ones that don’t fight.” He cited Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., as an example of a House Republican he would like to see primaried, specifically highlighting his disagreements with her view on foreign policy.
Trump also discussed his displeasure with Gov. Brian Kemp, R-Ga., and the elected officials in Georgia who signed a consent decree spearheaded by liberal activist Stacey Abrams that loosened signature requirements for mail-in ballots. “She took them to lunch,” Trump noted, as he recalled how he helped Kemp beat Abrams in the 2018 gubernatorial election by endorsing him in the Republican primary and the general election.
Later, Trump maintained that “You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. You’re not going to have a Republican Party if you don’t get tough,” Trump told the crowd. “We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated.”
Additionally, the president directed a message at Vice President Mike Pence: “I hope you’re going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and of our country. And if you’re not, I’m going to be very disappointed in you.” As president of the Senate, Pence presides over the counting of Electoral College votes in a largely ceremonial role.
“This year, using the pretext of the China virus and the scam of mail-in ballots, Democrats attempted the most brazen and outrageous election theft,” he said. “Our election was over at 10 in the evening. We’re leading Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia by hundreds of thousands of votes and then late in the evening or early in the morning, boom, there’s explosions of bullsh**.”
“We won in a landslide. This was a landslide,” the president maintained. “This is the most corrupt election in the history, maybe of the world.”
Trump also urged Congress and the state legislatures to take action to prevent election fraud in the future, specifically “to quickly pass sweeping election reforms.” As his speech concluded, Trump took a more optimistic tone, stressing that “Today is not the end. It’s just the beginning.”
“Despite all that’s happened, the best is yet come,” he continued, as the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
Should Republicans’ efforts to challenge the electoral votes in certain swing states succeed, an event that seems unlikely given the makeup of the 117th Congress and several Republicans expressing unease about challenging the election results, Biden’s electoral vote total would drop below 270, leading the House of Representatives to pick the president.
Under this scenario, each state gets one vote regardless of size and since Republicans control a majority of state delegations, Trump would presumably win.
