In the US capital Washington, the Capitol has been closed due to clashes between pro-Trump protesters and the police. Nobody is allowed in or out of the building anymore.
Images show demonstrators dragging fences and police using tear gas.
Soon after, demonstrators were seen on the steps of the building, which is home to both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Photos show some demonstrators in the building.
Two buildings on the Capitol grounds and some houses in the neighborhood have been cleared. Democratic Senator Haley Stevens tweets that she’s hiding in her office.
Thousands of people gathered this afternoon for a major pro-Trump rally. Participants walked to the Capitol, where Congress ratified incoming President Biden’s election win. That’s the last official step before Joe Biden can be sworn in as president on January 20.
Trump has addressed protesters near the White House. He said again that he is convinced that he has won the election.
In advance, the president wrote on Twitter that the city will be filled with people who do not want “the elections to be stolen by radical left Democrats.” Trump confidants, including his good friend Roger Stone, who was pardoned by Trump, are also present.
On the street, protesters are unanimous about the election results:
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has increased the presence of the National Guard ahead of the protest. The city council has called on protesters not to bring firearms to the demonstration.
Pence
President Trump this morning via Twitter called on his vice president, Mike Pence, to stop the endorsement of the election results. Pence, according to Trump, should reject the electors of states where, according to him, voting fraud has been committed. “Do it Mike, now is the time for extreme courage!” Trump writes.
In the US elections, the winning party in a state gets all the electors assigned to a state. By law, this election result requires 306 electors to vote for Biden and 232 for Trump.
Endorsement of election results is normally a formality and the role of the Vice President is usually ceremonial. The AP news agency reports that Pence is well aware of this and that he has also told the president that he cannot single-handedly reverse the election results for Trump.
He is expected to ensure that the objections are heard in the Senate. American media expect that it will take days.
In the run-up to today’s protest, Trump spoke at a campaign rally in Georgia about the role he sees for Pence. “I hope Pence gets it done for us, I have to say. If he doesn’t, of course I don’t like him that much anymore,” Trump said.