WASHINGTON, DC—Right-wing activists assembled on Capitol grounds Friday afternoon for yet another pro-Trump rally after a similar event proved to be an epic failure less than two weeks ago—but again found themselves struggling to explain pathetically low turnout.
Fervent supporters of Jan. 6 defendants, a MAGA-loving fashion designer, and a rough-and-tumble gentleman dressed in early colonial garb were just a few of the characters back outside the Capitol, equally upset at President Joe Biden and over Capitol rioters remaining behind bars.
Despite their attempts to draw in the MAGA faithful by playing Donald Trump speeches ahead of their first speaker, the “Stop the Tyrants & Unite for Freedom” gathering flopped. Even with frequent Steve Bannon podcast guest Matt Braynard in attendance, a mother of 27 individuals–including two hired private security guards–showed up.
Braynard, a leading Jan. 6 advocate and director of the right-wing organization “Look Ahead America,” took to the miniature stage and almost immediately cried crowd over five liberal activists who had shown up to protest the event.
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Zachary Petrizzo/The Daily Beast
But these weren’t any activists. Instead, these activists, who event organizer John Paul Moran referred to as “paid agitators” and members of Antifa, brought particularly upsetting and bothersome trinkets to derail the pro-Trump rally: whistles.
“I want you to recognize something,” Braynard said. “They are trying to interrupt. That’s why they’re blowing the whistle. To make it hard to hear us!”
Further, the irony of defending Capitol police officers was apparently lost on him.
“You have some purple-haired freak, three inches from your face, blowing a whistle, causing you [police officers] hearing damage,” Braynard continued, attempting to be a white knight on behalf of the same Capitol police force that Jan. 6 defendants allegedly assaulted.
Elsewhere at the event, theories flowed about why the event didn’t pan out and draw in the masses.
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