Trump loyalists, conspiracy theorists, religious-right activists, and far-right activists will converge on Washington, D.C., yet again this weekend to make unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in an effort to keep Donald Trump in the presidency. But while the Nov. 14 “Million MAGA March” saw conservatives and extremists come together for one large rally, the Dec. 12 events show how that loose coalition has suffered some splintering, as infighting about tactics and combative personalities take center stage.
As Peter Montgomery reported earlier this week, the so-called Stop the Steal campaign, led by Ali Alexander, will team up with Jericho March and Ed Martin’s Phyllis Schlafly Eagles for a “Let the Church ROAR” prayer rally on the National Mall. (Martin has also been working as part of the Stop the Steal team.) The morning will begin with simultaneous marches around the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, and Department of Justice before converging on the National Mall for the prayer rally that will feature such right-wing superstars as disgraced former three-star general Mike Flynn. Right-wing pundit and radio show host Eric Metaxas will emcee, and Virginia Women for Trump—not to be confused with the national Women for Trump—has recently joined as a sponsor.
A competing rally, “March for Trump,” led by Women for America First, American Priority, Latinos for Trump, LEXIT, and Drag the Interstate 1776 will take place at Freedom Plaza, just east of the White House at noon. The Proud Boys hate group has also advertised the event on their Telegram channel, suggesting that a Proud Boy contingent will be on hand.
“This is the location and time,” Amy Kremer, chair of Women for America First, said in a tweet that used the #StoptheSteal hashtag. “It has not changed and WILL NOT change … Others are trying to confuse & dilute the effort.”
The pop-up advertised on the website for "March for Trump," led by Women for America First. (Screenshot)
In other tweets, Kremer and her daughter and fellow MAGA activist Kylie Jane Kremer attacked the “fake news media” for reporting on the "Let the Church ROAR" rally on the National Mall. On the website for their efforts, a pop-up repeats that it is not at the National Mall, blames the “FAKE NEWS” and makes no mention of the other, official Stop the Steal event being held there. Meanwhile, Stop the Steal graphics for its event prominently advertise the location of the National Mall.
The antagonistic tone may be surprising for some who remember that the Kremers and Alexander, who is in league with the competing "Let the Church ROAR" event, had worked together on Stop the Steal in November, with the Kremers listed as “running point” for different events. Women for America First, which is chaired by Amy Kremer, started the popular Stop the Steal Facebook page until it was shut down for peddling disinformation about the election results. Kremer’s group was also the only organization to get a permit for the Nov. 14 “Stop the Steal” rally, which also went by “Million MAGA March” and “March for Trump”—formerly different events that came together under one banner—and they were among the first to speak at that rally.
The bickering and snide comments seem to have begun—in public view at least—when Amy Kremer launched a two-week March for Trump bus tour and billed it as a follow-up to the Nov. 14 event and part of the Stop the Steal campaign.
Alexander took to social media to deride the tour shortly after it was announced, telling his audience, “We’re not doing this stupid bus tour.”
But Alexander found himself in hot water last week, the day after he had threatened to burn down the GOP, when during a hot mess of a so-called Stop the Steal rally, attorney and conspiracy theorist Lin Wood encouraged voters not to vote for Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in Georgia's Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoffs, which will determine which party ultimately controls the Senate. Alexander's friend and fellow far-right activist Mike Cernovich called that rally an “insurrection,” prompting public criticism from far-right activist Jack Posobiec. Alexander, in turn, launched a full-throated attack on Posobiec, suggesting he had dirt on him.
While the Kremers have avoided calling Alexander out by name, they appear to agree with Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene, whom they retweeted, as she lashed out at Alexander in a series of tweets for suggesting that his people won't vote for Loeffler or Perdue.
In a Periscope video posted last Thursday, Alexander took an opportunity to lash out at the Kremers, whom he did not refer to by name. Instead, he accused "these two women with a bus" of trying to steal a donor of his, calling them "Jezebels ... without the action."
“We had two women hijack our event, that was super weird,” Alexander said in discussing a Georgia Stop the Steal event. “My event outside was hijacked by the March for Trump women. It was disgusting.”
Ali, who had at that time not yet announced his rally, teased the event and announced in that broadcast that he was indeed heading to Washington, Dec. 12, telling his audience, “Don’t you worry, I’m not going to let these hijackers, these hijackers hijack our movement.”
“Remember when I was the one who organized D.C.,” he said, claiming 250,000 people turned out. “Right now D.C. is so low—right now there is probably 20,000 people or less going. Right now D.C. is so lame because all of these grifters are putting it on, not Stop the Steal, not legitimate people.”
While thousands attended the event, Alexander’s estimate of the crowd size is perhaps unsurprisingly very generous to himself. Just days ago, he announced an over-the-top "The Steal" movie about the Stop the Steal campaign, featuring very prominently himself presented as some kind of mythic hero and set to epic music usually reserved for scenes of warriors running into battle.
https://twitter.com/TheStealMovie/status/1336757644460175363
