Thousands of President Trump's supporters – for the second time in a month – have planned to flock to the nation's capitol for a protest in support of the president and his false claims of a stolen election.
This weekend's Million Maga March follows a Nov. 14 protest that brought masses of the president's supporters to Washington, D.C. and ended with scattered clashes between rally-goers and counter-protesters.
Saturday's event, which according to organizers will be attended by more than , shares a title with last's month protest – and is arranged to take place near the White House.
Several groups who attended last month's protest will be marching again on Saturday. This includes the Proud Boys, a self-proclaimed western-chauvinist organization known for violent confrontations with left-wing protesters. They're considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Proud Boys in kilts. Dozens of them gathering downtown now for today’s March for Trump. pic.twitter.com/BTJWmGC6Yp
— Hannah Allam (@HannahAllam) December 12, 2020
A White House spokesman confirmed that as the group gathered in D.C., one of its leaders, Enrique Tarrio, took a public tour of the White House. Tarrio posted about his visit to the right-wing social media app Parler. The White House says that Tarrio did not meet with the president nor was he specifically invited. Tarrio said the visit "shows we've come a long way."
The rally was scheduled to begin blocks from the White House in downtown Washington's Freedom Plaza. From there, demonstrators were expected to make their way toward the Supreme Court, which late on Friday dismissed a Hail Mary legal challenge to the results of November's election brought by the Texas attorney general and supported by President Trump and the majority of House Republicans.
President Trump broadcast his approval of Saturday's demonstration, tweeting, "Wow! Thousands of people forming in Washington (D.C.) for Stop the Steal. Didn't know about this, but I'll be seeing them! #MAGA."
During last month's protest, Trump made an impromptu visit, riding by the rally in his presidential motorcade.
Wow! Thousands of people forming in Washington (D.C.) for Stop the Steal. Didn’t know about this, but I’ll be seeing them! #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2020
On Friday, according to NPR member station WAMU, both Trump supporters and counter-protests clashed in the city's Black Lives Matter Plaza, which led to several arrests.
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