Trump’s team tries to rally supporters as re-election prospects shrink



[ad_1]

Donald Trump’s campaign has doubled due to claims that the US president could still win re-election even as Joe Biden expanded his leadership, and some of Trump’s allies urged his supporters to take to the streets in protest. .

The Trump campaign insisted Friday morning that the election was “not over” shortly after Biden took the lead in Pennsylvania, moving him closer to declaring victory with votes still counting in a handful of battle states.

Matt Morgan, the general counsel for the Trump campaign, said the results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona were “far from final” in an effort to create uncertainty about the results of the four states. They all had a bias in favor of Biden.

Arizona has already been called by the Associated Press and Fox News on Biden’s behalf, but other American television networks have been delayed and thousands of votes are still being counted.

The claim came in the wake of repeated unsubstantiated claims by Trump that Biden was trying to “steal” the election.

It also came in the context of protests in a handful of cities as the vote count progressed. In some places, like Philadelphia, Trump and Biden protesters went head-to-head in competitive protests.

Facebook on Thursday removed a Trump support group called “Stop The Steal” for fear it was inciting violence. But organizers of the group, which had quickly amassed more than 300,000 followers, still held a series of demonstrations in the four critical states on Thursday night. They promised to hold several more on Friday.

Alex Jones, the far-right founder of InfoWars and a conspiracy theorist who has been banned from Twitter, addressed protesters Thursday night in front of the election counting center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Trump supporters in Detroit, Michigan © REUTERS

A ‘Stop the Steal’ rally in Clark County, Nevada © REUTERS

“We don’t know how this is going to end, but if they want a fight, they better believe they have one,” he told Trump supporters, comparing his stance against a possible Biden victory to the overthrow of the British government in the United States. .

“We will defeat [George] Soros and Bill Gates like we’re defeating the King of England, ”he yelled, punching the air and lashing out at“ a bunch of fascist communists ”and“ left-wing scum ”.

Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, urged Republican leaders to join the president’s supporters in backing Trump. “Calling ALL Republican leaders, SHOW your courage!” Mr. Flynn tweeted.

The word “gathering” is commonly used by self-described conservative militia groups, numbering approximately 50,000 nationwide, to gather troops for battle.

Sam Jackson, an expert on far-right and anti-government extremism at the State University of New York at Albany, said people don’t necessarily need clear instructions or a clear request from Trump to mobilize in support of his candidacy.

“We are likely to see regular public demonstrations for the foreseeable future. . . from people across the political spectrum, ”he said, adding that supporters of QAnon’s conspiracy theories needed little incitement to action.

Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania was one of the moderate Republicans who have tried to distance themselves from Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of fraud.

Referring to unsubstantiated claims Trump made at his White House appearance on Thursday, Toomey told NBC television. “It was very difficult to watch. The accusations of the president. . . they are simply not substantiated. “

2020 US Presidential Elections

How is the US presidential election affecting you? You tell us

[ad_2]