Thousands expected to attend pro-Trump rallies in DC this weekend

Police said they will close several streets in Washington, D.C., on Saturday in anticipation of rallies in support of President Trump as he challenges the results of the 2020 election won by President-elect Joe Biden.
Organizers, led by the pro-Trump group Women for America First, said in a permit application with the National Park Service that they expect about 5,000 people to attend, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
The permit indicates the first rally will take place at 9 a.m. at the Capitol, with a larger gathering planned for Freedom Plaza around noon, according to the newspaper.
Trump has refused to acknowledge the results of the presidential election and has encouraged demonstrations by supporters while also pressuring Republican legislators in key states to overturn the results.
Saturday’s rallies will take place two days before the Electoral College meets to cast votes from the Nov. 3 election.
Thousands of Trump supporters gathered in the nation’s capital on Nov. 14, a week after Biden was projected the winner of the election by The Associated Press and all major news networks. Supporters of the president and counterprotesters clashed in the streets of Washington that evening after a largely peaceful daytime event. At least 20 people were arrested, and two police officers were injured.
The presidential motorcade briefly drove past the crowd of Trump supporters during the day, with the president waving to protesters.
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