Trump: ‘We will never give up, we will never concede’

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump repeated unfounded claims of voter fraud Wednesday morning, affirming he has no plans to concede the presidential election.

“We will never give up, we will never concede. It doesn’t happen. You don’t concede when theft is involved,” Trump told a crowd of hundreds gathered at a “Save America” rally in Washington, D.C.

Trump was also quick to mention Vice President Mike Pence, saying “if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election.” Trump outlined his belief that Pence could send the Electoral College votes back to the states, for the states to “vote again”, Trump said, and then “I will remain president.”

The rally is taking place just hours, and just a few blocks away, before Congress opens a joint session to tally the results of the Electoral College vote.

While some Republicans have promised to raise objections to the vote, and Trump has pressured Vice President Mike Pence to “reject” the results in his role as the session’s presider, legal experts agree that there’s little to no chance that the session will change the outcome of the election.

“Mike Pence will have to come through for us, and if he doesn’t, it will be a sad day for our country,” Trump told the crowd of supporters.

The president’s personal attorney, and attorney for the Trump campaign, Rudy Giuliani addressed the crowd of demonstrators Wednesday morning and said what was planned in Congress is “perfectly legal” and that Pence has the ability to reject the ballots.

“If we’re wrong, we will be made fools of,” Giuliani also reportedly told the crowd.

Tuesday night, as many demonstrators arrived in the nation’s capitol, Trump supporters clashed with police. Video from the scene showed officers spraying Trump supporters with a chemical agent.

Trump has tweeted about the rallies planned for Wednesday, calling on supporters to come to D.C.

In the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s rally, officials in Washington have taken steps to curb any potential violence relating to the event.

In December, four people were stabbed at a “Million MAGA March” in support of Trump. The rally also resulted in 33 arrests and injuries to eight police officers.