US states gripped by post-election chaos; Washington rally turns violent

Several states in the United States have been gripped by post-election protests as tensions grow over the results of a highly controversial vote that was due to elect the next occupant of the White House, with rival rallies being staged on a daily basis and police making arrests.

Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump rallied in the capital Washington on Saturday, chanting "four more years," and blaming voter fraud for the November 3 election defeat to Democratic candidate Joe Biden, which would force the incumbent to abandon the post after just one term.

"Hundreds of thousands of people showing their support in D.C. They will not stand for a Rigged and Corrupt Election!" the president wrote on Twitter.

Trump, himself, expressed approval for the gathering in Washington by passing his motorcade through streets lined with supporters before rolling on to his Virginia golf club.

As night fell, violent clashes between pro-Trump demonstrators, including right-wing Proud Boys group, and counter-protesters like Black Lives Matter activists were caught on camera, with both sides attacking one another with objects and punches.

US divisions harden amid big increase in belief vote was unfair

The United States presidential election continues to be unfinished and disputed, Joe Biden holds a slim lead but President Donald Trump has significant public support from Republicans at the grassroots and elite levels to not concede.

Videos posted on social media showed fistfights, projectiles thrown and club-swinging as supporters of the incumbent president clashed with those demanding his departure from the White House.

Near the Supreme Court building, some counter-protesters carried black umbrellas and makeshift shields, while others formed a line of bicycles to prevent pro-Trump protesters from approaching their group from the rear. They called Trump supporters “Nazis” and the protesters shouted profanities back.

US media reports said at least 20 people were arrested during the day, including four for firearm violations and one for assault on a police officer.

In the US state of Arizona, hundreds of Trump’s supporters gathered in front of the State Capitol building in Phoenix on Saturday.

UPDATE: 20 arrests were made and two officers were injured in today’s #MAGAMillionMarch protests, according to an official with the DC Mayor’s office @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/n0e8Q5acmY

— Kolbie Satterfield (@KolbieReports) November 15, 2020

Protesters in Phoenix marched through the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, carrying signs that read "stop the steal," and holding aloft Trump 2020 flags.

Election unrest: Trump and Biden supporters stage protests across US

Supporters of Trump and Joe Biden have again staged protest rallies in Philadelphia and other cities across the US over the integrity of the presidential election.

Biden won the US presidential election on November 3 and solidified his victory on Friday with a projected win in the state of Georgia, becoming the first Democratic candidate to take the state since 1992.

Biden now enjoys 306 votes in the Electoral College and far exceeds the 270 threshold to win presidency.

However, Trump has so far refused to concede defeat to his Democratic rival and launched a flurry of legal challenges in key states, making unsubstantiated allegations of widespread electoral fraud though his efforts have yet to yield any fruit.

Trump campaign claims voter fraud in Nevada; protests continue in Pennsylvania

The Trump campaign has alleged that 10,000 Americans voted in the state of Nevada despite no longer living there, while pro and anti-Trump continue in Pennsylvania.

A coalition of state and federal election officials on Thursday released a statement saying that there was “no evidence” that any voting system was compromised or votes lost during the recent general election. They underlined that the vote was the most secure election in American history.

Biden, on Saturday, went biking in a Delaware state park with his wife, and when asked if he was closer to choosing his cabinet, he replied "yes."

The Saturday rallies took place as the United States is grappling with some of its worst Covid-19 infection rates since the pandemic began, with more than 180,000 new cases and 1,400 deaths recorded in the country over the past 24 hours.

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