President Trump says he will deliver a speech Wednesday morning to supporters near the White House before Congress debates whether to accept President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“I will be speaking at the SAVE AMERICA RALLY tomorrow on the Ellipse at 11AM Eastern. Arrive early — doors open at 7AM Eastern. BIG CROWDS!” Trump tweeted Tuesday evening.
A joint session of Congress begins at 1 pm and Trump allies are expected to challenge electors from at least three states — Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania — triggering hours of debate, though Biden’s ultimate victory is not in doubt.
Trump is supporting a long-shot effort by some Republicans in Congress to overturn Biden’s narrow win in the swing states saying voter fraud tipped narrow races to Biden.
The president announced his speech shortly after pressuring Republicans in Congress and Vice President Mike Pence, who will preside over the Electoral College certification, to join him in fighting Biden’s win.
A large group of Trump supporters plan to rally first near the White House and later on Capitol Hill for a so-called “Stop the Steal” rally.
“I hope the Democrats, and even more importantly, the weak and ineffective RINO section of the Republican Party, are looking at the thousands of people pouring into D.C. They won’t stand for a landslide election victory to be stolen,” Trump tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
In order to reject a state’s results, both the House and Senate must embrace a challenge in a majority vote. Democrats hold the House and a large number of Republican senators say they won’t support the challenges, meaning they will fail badly.
But the votes will have lingering importance for Republican politics. Trump warned Monday night at a rally in Georgia that “people will remember the people that don’t support us” and he also signaled potential consequences for Pence.
Trump tweeted that Pence should “reject fraudulently chosen electors” under an expansive and disputed reading of his authority. Trump said this week that if Pence “doesn’t come through, I won’t like him quite as much,” which could impact the GOP ticket in a potential 2024 rematch between Trump and Biden.