Violence erupted on the streets of Washington, DC, Saturday as thousands of President Trump’s most die-hard supporters swelled the nation’s capital for a second round of protests against the results of the presidential election.
One person was reportedly stabbed after a black-clad pedestrian rushed a group of men wearing helmets and gas masks and threw a punch. The men were making their way to Freedom Plaza, where a rally dubbed the Million MAGA March had gathered. A video of the clash showed one man in Proud Boys regalia alongside the helmeted group.
“This isn’t over, this is just beginning,” former Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson promised the crowd there.
“We knew that both Republicans and Democrats were against we the people,” Pierson said in a fiery speech. “We are the cavalry. No one’s coming for us.”
Blocks away at the National Mall, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s former National Security Adviser, spoke to a throng of religious activists in his first public appearance since Trump pardoned him two weeks ago.
“We are in a crucible moment in the United States of America,” Flynn said.
“The courts do not decide who the next President of the United States will be,” he added — just hours after the Supreme Court tossed a Texas lawsuit challenging the vote in swing states. “This is the start of the greatest revival in the history of one nation under God.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent the protesters a video message of support.
“You keep it up,” she told them. “We’re glad you’re there campaigning for justice.”
The rallies were billed as a second edition of a march held Nov. 14, which also drew thousands of Trump supporters to Washington — and which erupted in violence after hours.
Five people were arrested Friday night as clashes sparked between arriving Trump fans and counterprotesters, NBC4 reported.
Trump buzzed the Saturday rallies in Marine One, circling twice over the roaring crowds as he departed on a trip to attend the annual Army-Navy football game.
“That’s pretty cool,” Flynn said admiringly as the president flew overhead. “Imagine being able to just jump in your helicopter and go for a joy ride around Washington, DC. I love it.”
Meanwhile, Trump himself spent much of the morning issuing angry tweets about his foundering election challenges in Georgia and Arizona — and about the Supreme Court decision that appears to have dashed his chances to retain the White House.
“The Supreme Court had ZERO interest in the merits of the greatest voter fraud ever perpetrated on the United States of America,” he lamented in one post. “75,000,000 votes!”
