Protests broke in several states across the United States after the exit polls gave two battlegrounds states to Joe Biden on Wednesday. Hundreds of Trump supporters took to streets and converged on vote counting centers in Arizona.
In Detriot and Pheonix, following the unsubstantiated rumors that ballots for President Trump were not being counted, his supporters gathered outside the Maricopa County Elections Department. Most of the demonstrators outside the vote centers in Arizona and Michigan were unmasked and some armed with assault rifles and guns, chanting “Count my vote” and “Stop the steal!”
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Furthermore, an Arizonian Republican and a staunch supporter of Trump, Representative Paul Gosar, also joined the crowd and said that “We’re not going to let this election be stolen. Period.” The local and international media outlets have called the key state for the Democratic candidate, but Trump’s campaign team maintains that the state is still up for grabs.
After Fox News and the Associated Press called the state for Joe Biden, the President himself described the elections as “fraudulent.” Trump further added that he wanted to stop the vote counting and leave the decision to the country’s Apex court, where conservatives now have a majority. However, it remains unclear whether not his campaign would be able to build a solid argument when the court hears the case.
The New York Times also reported that the Arizonian Governor Doug Ducey, had been on call all night with Trump campaign staff members and administration officials, insisting that there were still Trump’s votes that need to be counted.
Meanwhile, in Detroit, shortly after the Associated Press declared Biden’s victory in Michigan, pro-Trump demonstrators gathered outside the TCF center. The footage on local media showed angry protestors inside the lobby and outside the building while the police officers were lined up to keep them from entering the counting center.
In response to the allegations and ongoing protests, Arizona’s Attorney General Dana Nessel argued that both parties and the people had been given access to the ballot tallying and counting. The Democrat further added that there is a robust system in place to ensure that all the votes are fairly counted.
Moreover, in Portland downtown, hundreds of left-wing protesters and state police were locked in a standoff. The situation prompted the state governor to call in the National Guard in a bid to curb the unrest.
The sheriff’s office in Multnomah county made as many as nine arrests after declaring a riot, citing violence in the city’s downtown area, and warned that it could deploy tear gas and munitions. AFP reported that armed police advanced on protests but added that there were no clashes at the scene.
Portland has been at the center of the unrest in recent months, following the deaths of African Americans in police custody. On Wednesday, the demonstrators who gathered on the city’s river vowed to protect the vote and carrying banners proclaiming, “Every vote counts.” Some of the protesters maintained that they want the incumbent president out of the White House.
