Live coverage of DC protests: Small group pushes through Capitol fence; Trump addresses thousands of supporters gathered at National Mall

N'dea Yancey-Bragg, John Bacon, Will Carless and Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Thousands of President Donald Trump's most ardent supporters descended on the nation's capital Wednesday as Congress prepared to formally declare Joe Biden president-elect.

Trump addressed the crowd of supporters at the Ellipse for about an hour, again repeating baseless claims of rigged election. . As his speech concluded, a group of about two dozen people moved in on the U.S. Capitol as debate over certifying the election was taking place inside.

Several flash-bang grenades were launched as the small group called to occupy the building, breaching some of the fencing. A stretcher was seen being taken through the crowd as tensions flared. Behind them, a huge throng continue to swell, with a reporter estimating more than 1,000 pushing up against the inauguration stage set up outside the Capitol building.

Trump has unsuccessfully tried to overturn election results in six battleground states through dozens of failed lawsuits, falsely claiming the election was stolen despite no evidence of widespread fraud. Although several Republican legislators have indicated they will object to the certification of electoral votes for Biden, the campaign lacks the votes needed to overturn the results.

Unbowed, conservative social media pages were promoting at least four rallies intended to pressure Republican lawmakers into joining the doomed effort.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates and follow USA TODAY reporters on Twitter here. Scroll down for more news you need to know.

  • City officials had braced for violence. Mayor Muriel Bowser asked that area residents stay away from downtown, but added that "we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.” Colleen Cupp of Carmel, Indiana, said Wednesday the crowd was friendly and that she wasn’t worried about violence. “We’re here supporting our president,” she said. “It feels unifying.”

  • Most of the early crowd shunned face coverings despite the nationwide surge in coronavirus cases, though some wore red “Make America Great Again” masks. “USA” and “stop the steal” chants rippled through the area. Music blared and people stumped for the president with megaphones. Many donned red, white and blue apparel, and waved "Trump 2020" flags.

  • Legislators began meeting at 1 p.m. ET to count the Electoral College votes during a special joint session of Congress — 306 for Biden, 232 for Trump. It takes 270 to win the presidency. Follow live updates from inside Congress here.

  • Tuesday night, D.C. police made six protest-related arrests. The charges ranged from carrying a pistol without a license to assault of a police officer, according to a spokesman. The U.S. Park Police also made one arrest.

  • Members of the "Proud Boys," designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, were expected to attend. The group's leader, Enrique Tarrio, was arrested Monday after arriving in D.C., on charges related to the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner at a protest last year. Tarrio pleaded not guilty to destruction of property and weapons charges and was released – but ordered to stay out of D.C. until his next court appearance in June.

Trump repeats claims of rigged election

Trump once again repeated his repudiated claims of a rigged election, blaming the "fake news media," "weak Republicans," and the tech giants. Trump also rejected early results from Tuesday's election that saw Democrats leading in both Senate runoff elections in Georgia.

"This year they rigged the election, they rigged it like they never did before," Trump said, citing unfounded examples.

Legal challenges, however, have been consistently rejected in several courts. Trump's Homeland Security and Justice departments have said there is no evidence of significant, widespread voter fraud.

But Trump again urged Vice President Mike Pence to reject the Electoral College count, which Pence has no legal right to do.

"We will never concede," Trump said. "We will stop the steal."

– John Bacon, 12:20 p.m. ET

More: Mike Pence faces biggest loyalty test in announcing Trump's loss during a special session of Congress

Trump backers seek support Congress can't provide

Chad Heuer, 45, said he traveled from southern Michigan to watch Trump speak because he wants members of Congress to listen to what Trump supporters say.

“We have a constitution. Let’s uphold it,” Heuer said.

Michele Haynes from Las Vegas, unwilling to accept the reality that Biden will become president, said she’s “sure there are other options” for Trump to remain in office regardless of what happens in Congress. She said Americans won't accept Biden as president.

“They have more,” she said of allegations of voter fraud. “It’s going to be revealed.”

– Ryan Miller, 11:35 a.m. ET

Counter protesters: BLM, rainbow flags and anti-Trump music

At Black Lives Matter Plaza, just blocks from the White House, two counter protesters camped out between police barricades playing “FDT” by rapper YG.

Sean Davis, 20, and Kayla Buie, 19, stood before a line of Black Lives Matter and rainbow flags, trading insults with passing groups of Trump supporters. Davis, a chef who has been unemployed since the beginning of the pandemic, said the couple drove from New York on Tuesday night to show their support.

“At first I wasn’t going to come, but then everything Trump was doing it goes against our political system,” he said. “It’s more like tyranny.”

– N'dea Yancey-Bragg, 10:50 a.m. ET

From 'legitimate questions' to 'naked treason'

Sherri Lynn Womack, a member of the Lee County board of education in North Carolina, said she traveled to Washington to demand better election security and stronger voter ID laws. She cited what she believes are “suspicious” videos of ballot counting in Georgia.

“I’m not one of those conspiracy theorists," she said. "But these are legitimate questions that need to be asked."

The Trump campaign is falsely claiming that surveillance camera footage captured election workers in Georgia adding thousands of illegal ballots that were brought into an Atlanta facility in suspicious “suitcases” on election night. State officials said the full video shows the suitcases were actually standard containers used to secure ballots.

Meanwhile, David Tate, 32, a truck driver from New Hampshire, said he drove 14 hours because he doesn’t want his three children to grow up under a Biden administration. He said he doesn’t believe Biden could have gotten the amount of votes he did because of the massive crowds Trump drew compared to the smaller events held by Biden.

David Tate, 32, drove from New Hampshire to Washington, D.C., to protest the election of Joe Biden. Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021
David Tate, 32, drove from New Hampshire to Washington, D.C., to protest the election of Joe Biden. Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021

“It’s kind of our right and our duty as American citizens to stand up against this naked treason,” he said. Biden, however, did not host large events at the behest of the public health experts who urged Americans to avoid large gatherings.

– N'dea Yancey-Bragg, 9:25 a.m. ET

On the National Mall to 'support the cause of freedom'

Among those on the National Mall was Angela Strong, 41, a sixth-generation Texan who said she had ancestors on the Mayflower and others who fought in the Civil War.

“If they were willing to sacrifice everything to defend liberty and freedom, I could come down to support the cause for freedom," Strong said. She said debate has been stifled in America, and people who disagree can’t have a conversation without arguing.

Strong said she couldn't speak to Trump's claims of voter fraud because Texas was not that close of a race, but added that concerns raised by people in other states such as Pennsylvania should be heard. Experts have agreed,however, that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Pennsylvania or elsewhere.

“If their citizens and legislators are questioning it in any contested state, it shouldn’t be ignored," she said. "We have to give those voices the opportunity to say how they feel and why it is they feel that way.”

– Ryan W. Miller, 8:25 a.m. ET

Six arrested Tuesday night as Trump supporters began to gather

Crowds of President Donald Trump's supporters began gathering Tuesday in Washington, and D.C. police announced six protest-related arrests.

The Metropolitan Police Department detained three men and two women on charges ranging from carrying a pistol without a license to assault of a police officer, according to a spokesman. The U.S. Park Police also made one arrest, the spokesman said.

Hundreds of people had gathered during the day on Freedom Plaza near the White House, many waving Trump and American flags. Vendors ringing the plaza sold flag-themed hats and shirts emblazoned with sayings from “Stop the steal” to “Trump is my president.”

– Ryan W. Miller and Trevor Hughes, 12:05 a.m. ET

Counting Electoral College votes: What's happening in Congress today

Congress' count of the Electoral College, a normally symbolic affair affirming the president-elect's victory, is set to be a contentious, lengthy process when the House and Senate convene in a joint session to count the electoral votes on Wednesday.

In an effort that has divided the Republican Party, over a dozen Senate Republicans and at least 50 House Republicans are set to object to the counting of electoral votes from states that Trump contested after Election Day. No Democrats are expected to object to the results.

Trump has urged Republican lawmakers to join the objections, but the effort is unlikely to succeed because a majority of both the House and Senate is needed to exclude any electoral votes.

Congress is set to meet on Wednesday at 1 p.m. EST as protesters descend on Washington. Read more here about the procedures and what to expect.

– Nicholas Wu and Camille Caldera, 7 a.m. ET

More from USA TODAY:

Fact check: What's true and what's false about the 2020 election

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DC protests live updates: Trump speaks to thousands of supporters

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