December 13, 2020 8:02:48 am
People gather in support of President Donald Trump and in protest of the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in front of the Supreme Court on December 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images) Photographer: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images North America
President Donald Trump flew over supporters gathered for a second so-called “MAGA Million March” in Washington in support of ongoing attempts to reverse his defeat in the November 3 election.
“Wow! Thousands of people are training in Washington (DC) for Stop the Steal. I didn’t know about this, but I’ll be watching them! #MAGA,” the president tweeted.
Marine One, the presidential helicopter, crossed the march Saturday en route to Joint Base Andrews, from where Trump flew to West Point, New York, to attend the Army-Navy soccer game.
Trump shortened his time in the annual grudge match between the service branches, which was played in cold and rainy conditions – a Blue Angels overpass was barely visible through the fog. He departed toward the end of the second quarter after tossing a coin into midfield with top US military officers and sitting down with the Navy midshipmen and army cadets. The president did not initially wear a mask when he sat down with the service academy students and eventually donned one, only to remove it minutes later.
Earlier, a White House spokesman dismissed a claim made on social media by one of Trump’s supporters, from the right-wing group Proud Boys, that he had been invited to the White House.
“I was on a public Christmas tour at the White House. He did not meet with the president nor did the White House invite him, ”said spokesman Judd Deere.
Saturday’s meeting is the second in the nation’s capital since Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump and was declared president-elect more than a month ago. Organizers said on their website that they expect more than 22,000 people to attend.
Among those scheduled to appear were General Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, and several conservative lawmakers.
In the first march, on Nov. 14, Trump greeted and smiled at supporters from his armored limousine on his way to his Virginia golf course.
Several downtown streets were closed by police, and people carrying pro-Trump flags and placards were seen walking past the White House complex on Saturday morning.
The march comes a day after the Supreme Court rejected a case brought by Texas seeking to overturn Biden’s victory in four battle states, dealing a fatal blow to the president’s risky attempt to secure a second term.
Trump spent the morning enraged at the court on Twitter. He also ventured to Attorney General William Barr, saying he should have released a criminal investigation of Biden’s son Hunter before the election.
Several of his tweets were flagged by the social media site for containing controversial claims of voter fraud.
Also Saturday, a Trump-appointed federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by his Wisconsin campaign seeking to overturn Biden’s election victory in the battlefield state.
.
