Washington: “Then we’ll have a civil war”

Dthe “war” threatened by Trump supporters in Washington on Wednesday afternoon in the event of Donald Trump’s loss of power starts much earlier. This afternoon (local time).

At a rally in Washington, the President had evidently incited his fans to such an extent that they storm the Capitol. They march through the rotunda. Tear gas is used.

Both chambers of congress interrupt their session. MPs are evacuated. Washington’s mayor imposes a curfew from 6 p.m. local time.

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“We are here to support our President,” says Frank Bukowitz, hours before Trump supporters invade the Capitol, “now the cheating is over.” Bukowitz is on his way to the Trump rally. The middle-aged man arrived from Houston the day before, wears jeans dungarees and brown leather gloves, a red “Keep America Great” baseball cap and is presenting a newspaper called “The Standard” with the headline in large letters: “Trump wins ! “

It is now about “freedom for America,” says Bukowitz. Stand on the side of the incumbent president. What does he think of Joe Biden, who won the election on November 3rd? “He’s a creep. He is a child molester. He’s a thief. ”If Trump doesn’t stay president,“ we’ll have another civil war, ”he says, and threatens:“ We’re ready. ”

Bukowitz’s buddy interferes in our conversation. If Trump doesn’t get another four years in the White House, this will “not be accepted”, says “Brooks” from Virginia, as he calls himself. “Brooks” is furious, he hisses indignantly: “We were already betrayed in the election. We’re not going to lose this country to those damn tyrannical assholes in this government. We are tired, we have enough. ”If this election remains“ stolen ”, if Trump doesn’t get the four years“ for which he was elected ”, then there will be war.

But what is Trump’s most important task? As if shot from a pistol, both men answer: “Drain the swamp.”

Barbara Sheninger drove all night in a car from Marietta, Georgia, to get to Washington. She is less excited than her two fellow protesters, speaks calmly.

“The election was stolen,” she says, “I have been supporting President Trump since August 2015, his rally in Mobile / Alabama”. He has done so much “for the USA, for our citizens and the forgotten people”. It is about freedom, “our freedom, all of our freedoms and the whole world looks at us, what we will do, how we deal with the stolen election”.

Then Trump speaks to his supporters

Trump comes to the lectern late and leaves his fans waiting in the cold for an hour. “The media are our biggest problem,” Trump begins his speech – while the US has more than 358,000 Covid deaths. He had kept his followers waiting in the cold for an hour. Trump speaks of “hundreds of thousands” of visitors “from all over the world”, exaggeratedly. He has “never seen anything like it”, says Trump – as always.

“We want Trump,” shouts the crowd. “We will stop the theft of the election,” shouts Trump to the cheers of his supporters. He won with a “landslide victory”. President-elect Biden never won 80 million votes. Trump speaks of “80 million computer votes”. But he also shows frustration with his own party, complaining that there are “so many weak Republicans”. He will let his followers know who is one of these “weak Republicans”.

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Above all, the elected president appeals to his vice-president Pence to give him a second term in office and to overturn the result of the presidential election. “If Mike Pence does what is right, we will win the election,” says Trump. Pence should reject the results and send them back to the states, he says. However, the law only allows pence a ceremonial role at the session of Congress.

Just before Trump’s supporters storm the Capitol, Pence announced that it would not block Congress formally confirming Joe Biden’s victory.

Trump’s term ends in less than 14 days. It ends in a way that after these four years nobody should really be surprised.