Local News

Election 2020

Guns, Threats And Insults At Roundhouse Rally To Support Trump

KUNM | By Marisa Demarco

Published November 10, 2020 at 11:04 AM MST

On the street in front of the Roundhouse

On Saturday, Nov. 7, just after the presidential race was called for Biden, hundreds turned up on the steps of the state’s capital for a rally against election results--though there has not yet been evidence of fraud. And a quick content warning: This story contains antagonism based in transphobia.

Up on the steps of the Roundhouse, people gave speeches. A man only identified as Winston from Bikers For Trump, told the crowd: "This is good versus evil, OK? I know there’s a lot of God-fearing people here. We’re good, and they’re the bad guys, they’re the evil ones trying to do things in the dark."

Republican candidate Joseph Tiano, who lost his race for state Senate against incumbent Elizabeth Stefanics, told the crowd his election was stolen, too. And he said he believes Trump won in New Mexico, though here the margin was pretty wide. "We need like the media over here, the fake media, to call them out," Tiano said. This prompted a loud round of "Fake news!" and "booo!" and "Stop lying!" from the audience.

President Trump’s supporters waved signs and flags on either side of the street a ways away from the Roundhouse steps. A small group of Biden supporters held signs on an adjacent street. "Put this on record there's no American flags over there," a passing man said into my microphone. "Not a single one," his compatriot added. "That speaks volumes."

I asked what the lack of flags said to them.

"It tells us they're un-American. We're Americans."

Some cars passing by honked in support of Trump. Other drivers shouted insults or flipped them off. And they were greeted with a man asking, "What gender are you? There are only two genders in this world! Only two!"

Someone wearing all back stood a little ways away, and the Trump supporters began arguing with him, insulting his appearance and threatening to beat him up.

"Why you look like a skeleton?" one yelled.

"I'm just keeping an eye on you," he replied.

"You're a brave motherf***er," another man said.

"Thanks! Great, whatever," he said.

A person who declined to be named for fear of reprisal said he observed aggression from Trump supporters who were armed against the man wearing black. A few minutes after that when the observer was standing just apart from the crowd, he said he felt the barrel of a gun in his ribs, and he turned around and pushed it away. A second man was circling behind him, he said.

On the road, someone was driving by, blasting the horn and flipping off all the Trump supporters. The armed men joined the other supporters in surrounding the car and yelling. There was a loud bang that was not a gunshot and then the side of the car was damaged, though I couldn’t see exactly what happened or who did it, because there were so many people around the car. The driver shouted that he was calling the police, and the armed men quickly left.

"Defund the police, right?" one woman started shouting.

"Now you need them," another said.

Jason Trambley was on the sidewalk waving a large flag in circles. "I feel many states right now are finding illegitimate ballots, illegitimate votes being cast, dead people voting, and the evidence is through the roof. The mainstream media is not covering it."

I asked Trambley what he wanted to have happen. He said he wanted the courts to come through. I explained that most of the lawsuits filed since Election Day have been completely thrown out, because judges say Trump’s team hasn’t presented evidence.

"Uh, no. Would you be able to cite that?" he challenged. (See below).

"What I’m saying though is if these cases don’t make it through the court, if you’re not seeing the result that you’re looking for, then what should happen?" I asked.

"I’ll leave it at this: We’ll see what happens," Trambley said.

I was interviewing Jacob Knecht for a good while. He identified himself as a patriot and said he’s against the public health restrictions. Toward the end, he expressed criticisms of the president, and said Trump's divisive rhetoric is why he doesn’t support him.

"So are you not a Trump supporter?" I asked. "I just assumed you were."

"No, I am a Trump supporter," Knecht said. "I support my president. I love my nation. There’s some things that I wish that he would relay differently. Like he … Oh, I know what you’re doing now. I know exactly what you’re doing."

"What?" I asked.

"Hey, no one have an interview with her."

He told the crowd I am fake news, and so a bunch of them came my way and started yelling misogynist and transphobic insults. A man came up and coughed at my mic and into my face. None of the hundreds of Trump supporters seemed to be wearing masks, though I was.

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There are calls for more rallies around the country. And we should also note that in Albuquerque on Saturday, there was dancing in the streets and hundreds of cars in a celebration of Biden’s victory that lasted hours.

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