Trump supporters stage protests nationwide

From Oklahoma to Kansas to Utah, supporters of President Donald Trump staged protests nationwide Wednesday.

In Oklahoma City, Okla., close to 1,000 Trump supporters gathered at the Oklahoma Capitol as a joint session of Congress convened in Washington to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden.

Protesters held “Trump 2020” flags and signs that read “Stop the Steal” as they gathered on the Capitol’s south steps. Nearly all of the protesters were not wearing masks, and a handful brandished long guns, which is legal in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Legislature was not in session, and much of the crowd dispersed after a light rain began to fall.

Trump won Oklahoma with more than 65% of the vote in November’s election, defeating Biden in each of the state’s 77 counties. Biden won the Electoral College 306-232 and is to be inaugurated Jan. 20.

Despite Trump’s repeated claims of voter fraud, election officials and his own former attorney general have said there were no problems on a scale that would change the outcome. All the states have certified their results as fair and accurate, by Republican and Democratic officials alike.

In Denver, several hundred flag-waving Trump supporters rallied peacefully at the Colorado state capitol.

The Denver protest was one of many across the U.S. echoing unproven claims of widespread fraud in the presidential election. But the scene in Denver was in stark contrast to the chaos that engulfed the nation’s Capitol.

Greg Lopez, a former mayor of Parker and gubernatorial candidate, implored protestors to channel their outrage by supporting candidates financially and through grassroots campaigns. “We are not going to storm the Capitol. That is not us,” Lopez said.

“We formed because the current Republican Party is worthless,” said Casper Stockham, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully in several congressional district races.

In Topeka, Kan., about 200 Trump supporters rallied at the Kansas Statehouse to show their support for overturning President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Trump’s supporters listened to speeches promoting Trump’s baseless claims about election fraud and suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic has been exaggerated.

They chanted “stop the steal,” “four more years” and “no more masks,” a reference to many Trump supporters’ opposition to coronavirus restrictions such as requiring people to wear masks in public.

The protest was the same day Congress was supposed to certify the Democratic president-elect’s Electoral College. The count was interrupted when pro-Trump protesters stormed and occupied the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

After the rally in Topeka, dozens of Trump’s supporters entered the Statehouse peacefully, one by one or in small groups and milled around, glanced at historical exhibits and sat on benches. The building was open as it usually during the week.

The lights in the governor’s outer, ceremonial office were off and the door was locked, and the door to most of her staff’s office also was locked. Her office did not respond to texts seeking an explanation.

Trump carried Kansas easily in November to capture its six electoral votes.

In Georgia, Georgia’s secretary of state and his staff have evacuated their offices at the state Capitol as armed protesters gathered outside.

Gabriel Sterling, a top elections official, said it was an internal decision made by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to have his team leave.

“We saw stuff happening at the Georgia Capitol and said we should not be around here, we should not be a spark,” Sterling told The Associated Press.

About 100 protesters gathered at the state Capitol in Atlanta to protest Trump’s election loss. Some were armed with long guns.

Trump has focused much of his ire on Raffensperger in the weeks following his loss to Biden in Georgia by about 12,000 votes.

In Salt Lake City, people waving Trump flags and holding “Stop the Steal” signs rallied at the Utah Capitol.

The crowd of about 200 people in Salt Lake City crowded around a television monitor on the steps of the Capitol in to watch the president give a speech promoting his claims of election fraud at a rally in Washington, D.C. The majority of Utah protestors were not wearing masks or abiding by social distancing guidelines.

Colton Fiedler, 23, of South Jordan, said he was the first person to arrive at the statehouse at just before 9 a.m. in the hopes that the nation’s representatives in Congress would “finally find the courage to do the right thing.”

“I am a registered Republican, but I don’t know how much longer I will be,” said Fiedler, who was holding a Trump 2020 sign. “The Republican Party is dead as of this year. It is the party of Trump now.”

Election officials from both political parties, governors in key battleground states and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two challenges rejected by the Supreme Court.

In Carson City, Nev., pro-Trump demonstrators lined the streets of the Nevada capital.

Carrying signs that read “Stop the Steal” and “Voter fraud is treason,” a mostly maskless crowd chanted “We want freedom” and demanded federal lawmakers take action to prevent incoming president Joe Biden from taking office.

Julie Osburn of Reno, Nev., said she had attended rallies at capital on most weekends since the election. She said Republicans and Democrats should “audit” the vote manually and insisted a path to victory remain viable for Trump if Congress took action.

“There’s huge election fraud and this election cannot be allowed to stand with fraud, because, if we have election fraud, we will never have another free and fair election again,” she said as cars honked and crowds cheered.

In St. Paul, Minn., hundreds of Trump supporters gathered at the Minnesota Capitol.

The Star Tribune reported the demonstration was heavy on speeches and chants in opposition to both the outcome of the presidential election and the emergency measures implemented in Minnesota to stop the spread of covid-19. Few people in the crowd of up to 500 wore masks as Congress began the process of certifying Biden’s win.

There were loud cheers when the crowd learned that protesters in Washington had breached the U.S. Capitol complex. And there were boos for Vice President Mike Pence, who has defied Trump by saying he doesn’t have the authority to reject the electoral votes that make Biden president.

Minnesota state troopers are guarding the state Capitol complex, which has been fenced off since last summer’s unrest after the death of George Floyd, but there were no immediate reports of any clashes.