Over 60,000 Facebook users plan to attend a virtual second presidential inauguration ceremony for Donald Trump, with over 260,000 others expressing interest.
The event, organised by Ilir Chami and Evi Kokalari, a pair of Trump supporters who were reportedly part of his 2020 reelection campaign, is described as “a grassroots collection of private individuals 325,000 strong” supportive of the president that’s not affiliated with any organisation.
The virtual ceremony is expected to kick off on 20 January at 12 pm EST, at the same time Biden is expected to be sworn in at a ceremony in Washington, DC.
Facebook, whom Trump supporters have regularly accused of political bias, slapped a disclaimer on the organisers’ page clarifying that “Joe Biden is the President-election” and that he “will be inaugurated as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021”.
The page’s discussion section is filled with news on the Trump team’s flagging attempts to challenge alleged election fraud.
In one post, Kokalari indicated that over the past few days, the group has faced attacks from the media “by some very mediocre journalists that can’t hide their bias.” She added that she has received personal attacks and threats on Twitter and via voicemail.
“It makes me wonder, why are they feeling so insecure and threatened by this group of Trump supporters?” the activist asked, linking to what she alleges is a profanity-filled voicemail from one detractor calling Trump “unfit” and “dangerous” and describing his supporters “dumb as a rock” individuals who should “go live somewhere else.”
“You people are headed for a lot of problems. I’m watching all your groups and all your people. If anything goes wrong, you’re going to have the National Guard, the Army and everything on your a**. That’s a fact,” the unidentified man in the voicemail says.
Discussion of the planned event also spilled over onto Twitter, with users either expressing support or mocking the online gathering, depending on their political leanings. Some detractors even encouraged Facebook users to ‘report’ the event to the social media giant, presumably to get it blocked.
Trump supporters are planning a virtual inauguration. More than 60K signed up on Facebook. The only things missing will be Trump and reality.
— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@NotHoodlum) December 22, 2020
You can report the Facebook event known as "Trumps 2nd Inauguration" on Facebook as fraudulent.... here's the link https://t.co/Yalc6RKWyL pic.twitter.com/Z5loLONqYS
— SpiritualNurse Sandy (@SpiritualNurse) December 21, 2020
President Trump has not commented on the group’s plans, and has made no formal announcements regarding what he’s going to do on 20 January.
In recent weeks, media have reported on a range of options for Trump on Inauguration Day, including one scenario in which he skips the ceremony altogether to hold once last grand rally as president in Florida, and another in which the 74-year-old POTUS announces a 2024 bid, possibly at the same time that Biden is formally sworn in.
The Trump campaign has been fighting a losing battle with Biden and the Democrats over allegations of widespread misconduct in the 3 November election, including claims of mail-in ballot stuffing, pre-programmed voting machines, and other irregularities in battleground states narrowly won by the former vice-president. The president has filed dozens of lawsuits in state courts and the Supreme Court on these irregularities and has claimed that his team has “hundreds and hundreds” of sworn affidavits to back up his claims, but is yet to gain a major victory in court.
