SANTA FE — Shortly after the election was called in favor of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. late Saturday morning, supporters of lame-duck President Donald Trump rallied at the Roundhouse.
The rally was a part of nationwide “Stop the Steal” protests, which organized around the false claim that the 2020 election was rampant with voter fraud.
Around 200 people stood on the sidewalk in front of the state Capitol building as cars flying Trump and U.S. flags drove by — one of which had “fake news mobile” written on the side, listing local TV news stations KRQE, KOB and KOAT — and cries of “four more years” rang out.
One man shouted, “Democrats are an arm of Satan.”
Biden supporters drove through the rally on occasion, with one yelling, “Trump is a sore fucking loser!” Across the intersection, a small group of people holding Biden signs drew the attention of several Trump supporters, who called them communists.
Rose Lupinacci and her daughter Clara were sightseeing in Santa Fe for the day when they walked by the rally and witnessed a Trump supporter with a gun on his hip harassing and video recording a woman in her car.
“Of course, I’m not living in a bubble, and I knew what has been happening. I guess I’m just surprised at the intensity, especially in this area, and also just the vitriol,” Lupinacci said. “I understand people are really hurting and they’re sad, but to be attacking people in their cars?”
Cowboys for Trump founder and Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin — who, in July, said people who support the Black National Anthem being performed at football games should “go back to Africa” — rode into the rally on horseback.
The crowd moved to the front of the Roundhouse to listen to speeches, including one from Griffin where he called on sheriffs throughout the state to investigate alleged voter fraud, of which there is no evidence.
Brett Kokinadis, who ran for the U.S. House this cycle but lost in the Republican primary election, also fueled the crowd’s shared misconception that the election was stolen.
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“This isn’t over, and the president is going to make sure it isn’t over,” Kokinadis said. “And it just happens to be that they announced on Saturday that Biden was going to be the winner. Why? Because now they have all weekend to spew these messages in the media about how Biden’s going to be your president. Well, I promise you, the president’s not done with you, and you and us are not done for this president.”
As of Sunday night, the New York Times reported Biden as garnering 279 Electoral College votes and 50.6% of the popular vote, compared to Trump’s 47.7%.
Another speaker, who identified himself as a lawyer and minister, encouraged rally attendees to be prepared to take up arms in support of Trump.
“If Trump doesn’t give a concession speech, then it’s going to be up to us to back it up with the end of our guns,” he said. “Let’s hope it never comes to that, but it’s better to die as free men fighting for Trump than to die as slaves living in a communist country.”
With speeches calling for violence ongoing, a lone Biden supporter walked through the crowd carrying a homemade sign reading “President Biden” and “Vice President Harris” and was quickly singled out.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous because of safety concerns, said he came out to celebrate Biden’s victory before being met with a great deal of aggression.
“It’s a real relief. I can finally say the word ‘president’ without feeling sick inside,” he said. “So I wanted to come out, and I wanted just to hold this (sign) up. Just hold it up.”
He said throughout the rally he was verbally harassed, pushed, threatened, had his sign grabbed and had people follow him and get in front of him in attempts to obstruct him from walking around.
“It’s very hostile — very, very hostile. I didn’t say a word to them; all I did was carry this sign,” he said. “I’ve felt that it was dangerous for me to walk among other Americans, and it was terrible. The language I heard, the hatred, the venom, nastiness, it’s really surprising me. It’s not something I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect it in this amount, though. I expected people would say things to me, but I didn’t think I’d have to feel threatened.”
The crowd started to dwindle as dark clouds rolled in. By 3 p.m., only a dozen Trump supporters remained in the area. Meanwhile, hundreds of Albuquerque residents an hour to the south took to the streets to celebrate Trump’s defeat.
Bella Davis is a senior reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @bladvs
