[ad_1]
WASHINGTON – A day after the United States posted a daily record of more than 180,000 Covid-19 cases, with most of the country facing a possible bed shortage, President Donald Trump gave his tacit support to an event that brought together thousands of people in Washington, promoting, without proof, an alleged fraud in the elections that gave the victory to Democrat Joe Biden.
The “Million MAGA March”, a reference to the marches that gather millions of people with some frequency in the US capital (before the pandemic) and the acronym MAGA (“Make the USA Great Again”, in English), has as main point to point out alleged irregularities in last week’s elections. In the streets, shouts of “Four more years”, flags of the Republican campaign and banners with the words “Best president of all time” and “Stop the robbery.”
Guga Chacra:Trump is a threat to America.
There is no indication of serious problems in the process, and even in places where Republicans have called for a recount, such as Georgia, the chances of changes in the results are slim: Since 2000, there have been at least 31 state recount in the US. And only three of them have resulted from elections – in all cases, the margin between candidates was less than 300 votes.
The day before, Trump even suggested that he would participate in the event, even during the worst days of the pandemic that killed more than 260,000 people in the country and infects thousands of people at all times:
“It’s heartwarming to see all this tremendous support, especially the naturally occurring rallies across the country, including a big one on Saturday in (Washington) DC. I can even try to come by and say hi,” he posted on Twitter.
Instability: Top US military authority reiterates its obedience to the Constitution after Trump’s Pentagon purges
But this Saturday, the presidential entourage passed a few blocks from where the protesters were, without interrupting the route between the White House and a golf course, where Trump went to put some shots.
In addition to the record for new cases, the United States reports 1,000 deaths and 70,000 hospitalizations per day. Biden, who is already preparing plans to deal with Covid-19 when he takes over on January 20, issued a statement calling for “strong and immediate federal action” against the pandemic.
“I’m only going to be president next year,” said the Democrat. “The crisis does not respect the dates on the calendar, it is accelerating now. Urgent action is needed from the current government now, starting by recognizing the gravity of the current situation.”
Supporters and extremists
Convened by social media and amplified by influencers and media used to spread ideas related to Trumpism, the march attempts to bring to the streets the unfounded accusations that the November 3 elections were rigged to favor Joe Biden, a narrative encouraged by Donald Trump and followed by much of the Republican establishment.
Read More:Republican and Democratic state officials find no evidence of fraud in the US presidential election.
What was seen on the streets of Washington, in addition to loyal supporters of the Republican, were far-right groups, such as the Proud Boys, greeted by Trump in the first debate with Biden, as well as armed militias and conspirators. Organizers even said they expected more than 300,000 people, but attendance was well below that. Even the anti-Republican protesters, who promised to take to the streets to refute the electoral fraud narrative, were not seen in large numbers. On social media, the hashtags associated with the protest were “hijacked” by activists who, instead of supporting the president, posted photos of pancakes.
Forgotten pandemic
Another point to draw attention was the absence of masks, even in an event that brought together people from different corners of the country and at a critical moment of the pandemic, with local governments decreeing new restrictive measures and stricter regulations on the use of protection and distancing. The day before, in his first public appearance after the defeat was confirmed, the president praised his performance throughout the health crisis, and made promises that the vaccine announced by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer will be available “in the coming weeks. “for some groups, and” in April “for all Americans.
At the event, held on the White House lawn, Trump looked dejected and spoke as if a presidential election had not been held a few days ago. Still, in an apparent (almost) flawed act, he came close to admitting that he lost to Biden:
– This government will not adopt a closure, but whatever happens in the future, who knows which government will be in office, time will tell.
The president has refused to assume defeat and is trying to disrupt the transition process. Joe Biden’s team has not yet had access to resources earmarked for the intergovernmental changeover period, and the Democrat has yet to begin receiving daily intelligence reports. The obstacles that Biden himself admits can have negative effects on early actions, especially on Covid-19, a priority for him.
