Trump supporter Mark Leggiero drove 45 minutes Wednesday morning to meet up with fellow “patriots” to protest President Biden’s inauguration peacefully.
But when the 28-year-old arrived at the New York state Capitol building in Albany, he was in for a big letdown.
Dressed in a black Trump T-shirt and holding a Trump flag, Leggiero was the only supporter who showed up.
Mark Leggiero is the one lone Trump supporter out in front of the NYS Capitol. He says he expected a few thousand ppl here and is disappointed. He said he drove 45 minutes for a peaceful protest pic.twitter.com/hDtCLYFpLq
— Morgan McKay (@morganfmckay) January 20, 2021
In Utah, less than 10 people made their way to the state Capitol in Salt Lake City, where a large law enforcement presence dwarfed the handful of protesters.
Local media reported that the area in front of the Capitol building was nearly empty except for a man who held an upside-down American flag with a Confederate flag on the other side.
It was a similar scene in Maine and Arizona, where only a scattered few came out.
Across the country, states had been on high alert following an FBI warning last week of potential violence at all 50 state capitols during Biden’s inauguration.
The warning came after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead. The Capitol rioters, which included highly trained ex-military and even some in law enforcement, stormed the building, broke windows, smashed artifacts, and pledged even more violence. As a result, the atmosphere across the country was tense as state and local leaders worried about a repeat performance.
At least 19 states deployed National Guard troops to their capitols. Several shut down statehouse grounds and delayed legislative sessions in response.
In Virginia, no threats or protests materialized at the state Capitol building in Richmond.
Following the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C., the Capitol complex had been closed off. Windows had been boarded up, fences were erected, and barricades were put in place with armed guards on watch.
Trump supporter Lisa Martin told the Washington Examiner she had briefly considered bringing her children to the Capitol for a “civics lesson” but ultimately decided against it.
“I’m not going to waste a sick day on this,” she said.
In Washington state, more than 600 National Guard personnel, as well as hundreds of Washington State Patrol troopers, have been stationed around the state Capitol following the Jan. 6 riot.
On that day, dozens of people shoved their way past a security gate door and onto the grounds of the governor’s mansion in Olympia. The area has seen more than 25 unpermitted protests since the November election but was quiet on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, some members of far-right groups, such as Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys, told their members to stay home.
“People feel like they are going to get set up,” Joey Gibson, founder of Patriot Prayer, told the Seattle Times on Tuesday.
