WASHINGTON: Thousands of supporters of Donald Trump have converged here to attend a massive rally to be addressed by the US president on Wednesday in protest against what he alleges to be a rigged presidential election. “Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats. Our Country has had enough, they won’t take it anymore! We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Trump is scheduled to address the rally at about 11 a.m. The rally is being held at the same time, when in a joint session, the US Congress is scheduled to count the votes of the Electoral College and certify the results of the November 3 presidential election. Trump, the Republican incumbent, has not conceded the election, reiterating unverified claims that the presidential polls were rigged. Dozens of lawsuits by his campaign challenging election results have failed in US courts.

Biden, a Democrat, is set to be inaugurated as the 46th US President on January 20. Thousands of Trump supporters gathered at various places in downtown Washington with posters and banners “Stop the steal” to “Trump is my president.” US media feared a violent clash between Republican and Democratic supporters. “Some officials feared that if the protests led to violent confrontations, Trump might seek to invoke the Insurrection Act to maintain order and protect the 74 million supporters he falsely contends have been fraudulently disenfranchised by Biden’s victory,” The Washington Post reported. “The protests could indeed get nasty, and the next few days may be very disorderly. But officials, led by some senior members of the administration, have worked hard to prevent a worst-case scenario in which Trump might seek to overturn the election result by deploying the uniformed military and imposing martial law,” the daily said. —PTI

Press Trust of India