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President Donald Trump arrives at a rally on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
"Let's Go Back Eight Weeks": Off-the-Rails, Lie-Spewing Trump Pleads for Election Do-Over at DC Rally
The lame-duck president's unhinged speech came as members of Congress met to officially certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
Jan 05, 2021
As members of Congress met on Capitol Hill Wednesday to certify President-elect Joe Biden's decisive Electoral College, President Donald Trump riled up thousands of his supporters gathered near the White House with an unhinged speech in which he spewed innumerable lies about the November election and at one point feebly demanded a do-over.
"I want to go back eight weeks," Trump said to cheers from his fans. "Let's go back eight weeks."
The president also denounced as "weak" and "pathetic" the members of his party who have refused to join the more than 150 House and Senate Republicans expected to object to the official certification of Biden's win, a move that will delay the process but not prevent Congress from cementing the president-elect's victory.
"We will never concede," said the lame-duck president who continued to falsely proclaim that he won the election in a "landslide."
Trump proceeded to once again lie that Vice President Mike Pence has the power to unilaterally block certification of Biden's victory--a claim Pence himself rejected in a "Dear Colleague" letter on Wednesday.
"If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election. He has the absolute right to do it," Trump said, prompting chants of "Send it back!" from the crowd.
In his letter, the vice president wrote that "it is my considered judgement that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not."
Shortly after Trump's remarks, the president's supporters marched from the rally to the Capitol Building, where violent elements soon clashed with police and some congressional offices were evacuated or put on lockdown.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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As members of Congress met on Capitol Hill Wednesday to certify President-elect Joe Biden's decisive Electoral College, President Donald Trump riled up thousands of his supporters gathered near the White House with an unhinged speech in which he spewed innumerable lies about the November election and at one point feebly demanded a do-over.
"I want to go back eight weeks," Trump said to cheers from his fans. "Let's go back eight weeks."
The president also denounced as "weak" and "pathetic" the members of his party who have refused to join the more than 150 House and Senate Republicans expected to object to the official certification of Biden's win, a move that will delay the process but not prevent Congress from cementing the president-elect's victory.
"We will never concede," said the lame-duck president who continued to falsely proclaim that he won the election in a "landslide."
Trump proceeded to once again lie that Vice President Mike Pence has the power to unilaterally block certification of Biden's victory--a claim Pence himself rejected in a "Dear Colleague" letter on Wednesday.
"If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election. He has the absolute right to do it," Trump said, prompting chants of "Send it back!" from the crowd.
In his letter, the vice president wrote that "it is my considered judgement that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not."
Shortly after Trump's remarks, the president's supporters marched from the rally to the Capitol Building, where violent elements soon clashed with police and some congressional offices were evacuated or put on lockdown.
As members of Congress met on Capitol Hill Wednesday to certify President-elect Joe Biden's decisive Electoral College, President Donald Trump riled up thousands of his supporters gathered near the White House with an unhinged speech in which he spewed innumerable lies about the November election and at one point feebly demanded a do-over.
"I want to go back eight weeks," Trump said to cheers from his fans. "Let's go back eight weeks."
The president also denounced as "weak" and "pathetic" the members of his party who have refused to join the more than 150 House and Senate Republicans expected to object to the official certification of Biden's win, a move that will delay the process but not prevent Congress from cementing the president-elect's victory.
"We will never concede," said the lame-duck president who continued to falsely proclaim that he won the election in a "landslide."
Trump proceeded to once again lie that Vice President Mike Pence has the power to unilaterally block certification of Biden's victory--a claim Pence himself rejected in a "Dear Colleague" letter on Wednesday.
"If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election. He has the absolute right to do it," Trump said, prompting chants of "Send it back!" from the crowd.
In his letter, the vice president wrote that "it is my considered judgement that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not."
Shortly after Trump's remarks, the president's supporters marched from the rally to the Capitol Building, where violent elements soon clashed with police and some congressional offices were evacuated or put on lockdown.
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