Thousands of President Donald Trump’s supporters lined up for hours, some even camping overnight to attend his Saturday rally in Georgia. Cold temperatures did not dampen the enthusiasm of the huge amount of people that attended.
As his followers waited patiently in line for temperature checks a familiar chorus from his followers of the last few weeks broke out: “Stop the steal.” This chant backs Trump’s ongoing yet unsubstantiated claims that the November 4th presidential election was stolen. Trump’s rally where he was accompanied by First Lady Melanie Trump was held shortly after he was rebuffed by Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp in his astonishing call to implement a special legislative session to give him the state’s electoral votes, although President-elect Joe Biden won the majority of the vote.
‘They cheated and rigged our presidential election but we’ll still win it’ Trump claimed in his nearly two hour long speech imploring the crowd to get out and vote early in the crucial Senate runoffs that will decide which party retains control of the upper house of the U.S. Congress. ‘I want to stay on presidential, But I got to get these two.‘ Trump spoke glowingly of the two Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler who are up against the two Democratic challengers, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. The hyped up crowds enthusiastic “Fight for Trump” war cry almost drowned out the two senators when they briefly addressed the crowd.
Trump outlined what he believes is at stake in the upcoming Georgia election saying; ‘Very simply, you will decide whether your children will grow up in a socialist country or a free country. Socialism is just the beginning for these people. They want to go into a communistic form of government.’
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2020
Trump also spent a considerable amount of time telling the crowd that he could still win the election. On Wednesday, Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican stated that no evidence of widespread fraud had been found to support Mr Trump’s claims. ‘If I lost, I’d be a gracious loser. If I lost I’d go to Florida…but you can’t ever accept what they steal and rig and rob. You can’t accept it.’ Trump said. In regards to the prospect of him running for President again in 2024, Trump said. ‘Hopefully I won’t have to be a candidate.’
Trump again urgently encouraged Georgians on social media after the rally to register to vote before Monday December 12, and to request an absentee ballot before the end of December. ‘The answer to the Democrat voter fraud is not to stay at home — that’s what Pelosi and Schumer want you to do. If you want revenge on the Democrats for their efforts to steal the Presidential election, where we are fighting hard, you have to show up and vote in RECORD numbers! he said.
Some Republicans are concerned that the President’s ongoing allegations of voter fraud could discourage his followers from voting by making them believe it is pointless to vote as the system is rigged.
A victory for the Republican Party in the run-offs would allow it to counter the Democratic administration of President-elect Biden. On the other hand if the Democrats, who already control the lower chamber – the house of representatives are successful in winning the two seats, they would control half the seats in the Senate and vice -president elect Kamala Harris would be able to use her vote as a tie breaker.
‘Let them steal Georgia again, you’ll never be able to look yourself in the mirror,’ Trump told his massive audience who seemed to hang on his every word. Whether or not it will follow through with a crucial vote win to cement the Republican’s hold on the majority in the Senate is another chapter in the dramatic political election unrest that has gripped the United States and divided citizens throughout 2020 and continues to sees no sign of abating.