2020–21 United States election protests | |
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Date | November 4, 2020 – April 11, 2021 (5 months and 1 week) |
Caused by | False claims of electoral fraud made by Donald Trump [1] [2] [3] [4] |
Goals | Overturn 2020 presidential election results [5] |
Methods | |
Resulted in |
|
Casualties | |
Arrested | 1,000+ [12] [13] [14] |
Protests began in multiple cities in the United States following the 2020 United States presidential election between then-President Donald Trump and Democratic Party challenger Vice President Joe Biden, held on November 3, 2020. Biden won the election, receiving 81.3 million votes (51.3%) to Trump's 74.2 million (46.9%) [15] [16] and winning the Electoral College by 306 to 232. [17] [16] [15] Biden's victory became clear on November 7, after the ballots (including mail-in ballots) had been tabulated. [18] The Electoral College voted on December 14, in accordance with law, formalizing Biden's victory. [17]
Before and after the election, Trump, his presidential campaign, and his allies challenged the legitimacy of the election and falsely claimed widespread electoral fraud. [19] Trump and his allies filed dozens of legal challenges to the results, which were rejected by at least 86 judges from across the political spectrum, in both the state and federal courts, including by federal judges appointed by Trump himself. The courts found that his claims had no factual or legal basis. [20] [21] His unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voting fraud were also refuted by state election officials. [22]
Pro-Trump protesters, including groups such as the Proud Boys, engaged in multiple demonstrations in Washington, D.C., state capitols, and other locations nationwide protesting the election results and echoing Trump's claims of election fraud. [5] In November and December 2020, there were nighttime clashes and street scuffles in Washington, D.C. between Trump supporters who refused to accept the president's defeat, including the Proud Boys, and counterprotesters. [5] [23] [24]
On January 6—the day when Congress formally counts the electoral votes—Trump supporters gathered for the "Save America" rally where attendees heard speeches from President Trump and his personal lawyer, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. Before the speeches were over, a mob of protesters marched on Congress and stormed the Capitol building. [25] Congress was in session at the time, certifying the Electoral College vote count. Several buildings in the U.S. Capitol complex were evacuated, and protesters broke past security to enter the U.S. Capitol building, including National Statuary Hall. [26] [27] All buildings in the Capitol complex were subsequently locked down. [28] There was reportedly an armed standoff at the doors to the House chambers, [29] [30] one person was shot within the Capitol building, and one Capitol Police officer died after having a stroke the next day. [31] [32] At least two improvised explosive devices were found. [33] [34]
In the aftermath of the storming of the U.S. Capitol, at least 36 House Democrats called for Trump's immediate impeachment and removal by Congress. [35] [36] State-level officials including Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford supported impeachment, [37] and representatives called on Vice President Mike Pence to remove Trump via the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. [38] [39] Trump continued to face backlash in the days following and, due to his use of social media to encourage his supporters' protests and violence, was eventually restricted or banned from most online platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and his preferred Twitter. [40] [41]
Armed supporters of Trump have continued protesting in the aftermath of the storming of the US Capitol. [42] In the lead-up to the inauguration ceremony for President Biden, thousands of National Guard troops were dispatched to the capital, with up to 25,000 present on inauguration day. [43]
In remarks from the White House in the early hours of November 4, President Donald Trump alleged, without presenting evidence, that "fraud" was being committed during vote counting efforts [44] and remarked, "We will win this. As far as I'm concerned, we already have won." [45] Some major networks conducted live fact-checking and interrupted the president's speech while others offered uninterrupted coverage. [46] Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon suggested that Trump begin his second term of office by ordering the executions of Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray as "a warning to federal bureaucrats". [47] [48]
Political observers had suggested the possibility of a contested election and premature claim of victory by Trump in the months before of the election. This expectation was based on the likelihood that initial votes counted on election night would skew heavily Republican while mail-in ballots would skew heavily Democratic, a blue shift that became more favorable to Biden as more votes were counted and could be misrepresented as fraudulent. [49]
Pro-Trump events related to the election outcome have taken place around the country beginning on November 4.
"We're gonna walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so loudly for some of them, because you're never going to take back our country with weakness; you have to show strength...I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard."
— Donald Trump, Speech at a D.C. rally shortly before the storming, January 6, 2021
January 6 United States Capitol attack |
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Timeline • Planning |
Background |
Participants |
Aftermath |
On January 6, the protesters planned to march to the United States Capitol. [95] President Donald Trump supported the planned protest via tweets. [96] [97] Mayor Bowser asked residents not participating in the protests to "avoid confrontations with anybody who's looking for a fight". [98] [99]
A crowd of several thousand first listened to a speech by Trump, in which he repeated his claims that the election had been stolen and said, "We will never give up. We will never concede. ... Our country has had enough. We're not going to take it anymore." He urged them to march on the Capitol to "peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard" but also to "show strength". [100]
Many listeners then marched on the Capitol, where they breached the barricades, broke windows, and stormed inside the Capitol building. They marched through Statuary Hall. [101] Rioters invaded the offices of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, flipping tables and ripping photos from walls; there was looting in the Capitol. [102] [103]
The Capitol was locked down, the Senate and House recessed from their discussions about the electoral count, and Vice President Pence was "whisked away" from the chamber. [104] [105] Members of Congress were told to put on gas masks after law enforcement began using tear gas within the building. ABC News reported shooting in the Capitol building and an armed standoff at the front door of the House chambers. [106] [107] The New York Times also said police drew their guns inside the House of Representatives chamber. [108]
Multiple officers were injured in the mob violence at the Capitol. [109] [110] One died the following day, and another committed suicide over the following weekend. A woman was shot inside the Capitol by a Capitol Police officer while climbing through a broken window into the Speaker's Lobby - she later died. [111] At least one improvised explosive device was found on Capitol grounds, and another just blocks away at the headquarters of the Republican Party. [33] [34]
In the aftermath of the storming of the US Capitol, more than 250 [36] [112] members of Congress called for Trump's immediate impeachment and removal by Congress, or by invoking the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. [113] [114] [35] State-level officials who have described Trump's conduct as impeachable include Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford. [37] [38] [39]
Congresswoman Cori Bush introduced a resolution to investigate and expel Republican House members who had supported challenging election results, asserting they had broken their oath of office. [115] As of 25 October 2021 [update] , the resolution was still waiting to be voted on. [116]
A number of states experienced demonstrations and armed protests at state capitols or in the streets on January 6, numbering in dozens to hundreds of participants. Precautionary measures, such as closures of state capitols and evacuation of members and staff, were taken in several of the states in response to the events in Washington D.C. [117] [118] In some states the events were marked by incidents or particular security concerns.
Pro-Trump events were held without incident in Indiana, [132] Minnesota, [133] Nevada, [134] Nebraska, [135] Ohio, [136] Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [137]
The FBI reported that protests were being planned for all U.S. state capitols (and Washington) likely January 16–20, the 17th being symbolic to QAnon and the 20th Inauguration Day. [139] [140] Substantial security preparations were undertaken to protect the United States Capitol, state capitols, and other locations from potential threats, and the protests occurred only in about a dozen states, featuring a small number of participants.
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After Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, Republican nominee and then-incumbent president Donald Trump pursued an unprecedented effort to overturn the election, with support from his campaign, proxies, political allies, and many of his supporters. These efforts culminated in the January 6 Capitol attack by Trump supporters in an attempted self-coup d'état. Trump and his allies used the "big lie" propaganda technique to promote claims that had been proven false and conspiracy theories asserting the election was stolen by means of rigged voting machines, electoral fraud and an international conspiracy. Trump pressed Department of Justice leaders to challenge the results and publicly state the election was corrupt. However, the attorney general, director of National Intelligence, and director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – as well as some Trump campaign staff – dismissed these claims. State and federal judges, election officials, and state governors also determined the claims were baseless.
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The count of the Electoral College ballots during a joint session of the 117th United States Congress, pursuant to the Electoral Count Act, on January 6–7, 2021, was the final step to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election over President Donald Trump.
On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup d'état, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. They sought to keep him in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. The attack was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the certification of the election results. According to the bipartisan House select committee that investigated the incident, the attack was the culmination of a seven-part plan by Trump to overturn the election. Within 36 hours, six people died: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, three died of natural causes, and a police officer died after being assaulted by rioters. Many people were injured, including 174 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months. Damage caused by attackers exceeded $2.7 million.
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Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley, also known as the QAnon Shaman, Q Shaman, and Yellowstone Wolf, is an American far-right conspiracy theorist, rioter, politician, media figure, and felon who participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, for which he was convicted after a guilty plea on charges of obstructing an official proceeding. He is a supporter of former US president Donald Trump and a former believer and disseminator of the QAnon conspiracy theory.
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In the aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack, after drawing widespread condemnation from the U.S. Congress, members of his administration, and the media, 45th U.S. President Donald Trump released a video-taped statement on January 7, reportedly to stop the resignations of his staff and the threats of impeachment or removal from office. In the statement, he condemned the violence at the U.S. Capitol, saying that "a new administration will be inaugurated", which was widely seen as a concession, and his "focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly, and seamless transition of power" to the Joe Biden administration. Vanity Fair reported that Trump was at least partially convinced to make the statement by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who told Trump a sufficient number of Senate Republicans would support removing him from office unless he conceded. Kayleigh McEnany, the White House Press Secretary, had attempted to distance the administration from the rioters' behavior in a televised statement earlier in the day. On January 9, The New York Times reported that Trump had told White House aides he regretted committing to an orderly transition of power and would never resign from office. In a March 25 interview on Fox News, Trump defended the Capitol attackers, saying they were patriots who posed "zero threat", and he criticized law enforcement for "persecuting" the rioters.
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Supporters of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, held small-scale armed protests and demonstrations at U.S. state capitols in the five days leading up to the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, in opposition to the results of the 2020 United States presidential election, which continued after the failure of the violent January 6 attempt to overturn the election in Trump's favor. Pro-Trump groups failed to stage organized dissent or affect the transition of power in an environment of deterrence and heightened security.
The Jericho March is a loose, pro-Trump, Christian coalition who pray, fast, and march for what they claim to be election integrity and transparency in response to Donald Trump's accusations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, in which then-President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden. Following this, people affiliated with the movement started fasting, praying, and marching daily around their state capitols, and sought divine intervention to overturn the election results. Other groups held their own independent events as part of the 2020–21 United States election protests.
The Justice for J6 rally was a right-wing demonstration in Washington, D.C., in support of hundreds of people who were arrested and charged following the January 6 United States Capitol attack. It occurred on September 18, 2021. The event attracted 100–200 activists. It was organized by a former Trump campaign staffer. The event was noted for extensive security preparations and concerns over possible unrest.
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