Supporters of President Donald Trump took to the streets in Washington D.C. on Saturday to protest the Republican Party's failed efforts to help Trump reverse his election defeat.
Thousands of demonstrators marched down the Capitol in the latest "Stop the Steal" event. The MAGA supporters, once aligned with the GOP, turned on their party after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by Texas aimed at overturning the election results in four battleground states that voted for President-elect Joe Biden.
"In the first Million MAGA march we promised that if the GOP did not do everything in their power to keep Trump in office, then we would destroy the GOP," far right commentator Nick Fuentes shouted into a megaphone while standing on a stage surrounded by protesters.
Nick Fuentes speaks to a crowd of Trump supporters and gets them chanting “destroy the GOP!” for failing to protect Trump from not getting a second term. pic.twitter.com/AUAqU402Dz
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) December 12, 2020
"As we gather here in Washington D.C. for a second Million MAGA March, we're done making promises. It has to happen now. We are going to destroy the GOP," he continued, to thunderous applause.
The large crowd, wearing MAGA apparel and carrying patriotic flags, then began chanting: "Destroy the GOP! Destroy the GOP!"
"The GOP wants us to hold the line and vote for 'RINOs' like Davie Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in the Georgia Senate runoffs," Fuentes added, prompting loud "boos" for the Republican Senate incumbents.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
In a major blow to the president's legal efforts to stay in office, the Supreme Court on Friday evening said it would not hear the case filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
"Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections," the ruling said.
The president and his allies had billed the suit as "the big one" that would reverse a stolen election. But instead, their most recent failed effort likely marked the end of the road for Trump's 2020 campaign. The Electoral College is scheduled to meet on December 14 to officially confirm Biden's victory at the polls.
On Saturday morning, Trump railed against Republican officials for allegedly allowing a "rigged" election. He called Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey "RINOs" and urged supporters to "never forget, vote them out of office!"
Currently, Georgia Senators Perdue and Loeffler are both locked in tight runoff races against their respective Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. The two crucial January 5 elections will determine control of the upper chamber and Biden's ability to push through a Democratic agenda in his first term.
Democrats need to win both races for a 50-50 split. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would then cast the tie-breaking vote if both Ossoff and Warnock win their elections after Biden's inauguration.
Over the past month, Perdue and Loeffler have had to walk a tightrope of wooing the president's loyal supporters without discouraging faith in the election process as they campaign across the state. As Trump supporters push unverified claims of widespread voter fraud and calls for a boycott of the election process, the two incumbents have been asking conservatives to come vote in the very system that the president claims is rigged.
Last weekend, Perdue skipped a debate against Ossoff, while Loeffler dodged numerous questions about Trump's claims of a stolen election during a debate with her opponent Warnock.
Update 12/13/2020 5:17 a.m. ET: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Electoral College will meet on December 13. The Electoral College will meet on December 14. We regret the error.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
