State capitols braced for violent, pro-Trump protests on Inauguration Day, but barely anyone showed up
- State capitols across the US prepared for violent protests after the US Capitol siege on January 6.
- Many leaders expected pro-Trump loyalists to protest President Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday.
- National Guard troops deployed to state government buildings, but hardly any protesters showed up.
State capitols across the US heavily were heavily fortified in advance of President Joe Biden's inauguration, but relatively few protesters even showed up.
On January 6, exactly two weeks before the presidential inauguration, pro-Trump rioters breached the US Capitol in a violent insurrection resulting in the deaths of several protesters and police officers. The protesters traveled from across the country to try to stop Congress from officially certifying Biden as the winner of the presidential election. They briefly took over the building, but Congress ultimately certified Biden's victory late into the night.
Some pro-Trump extremists also converged on state capitols and lawmakers' homes in several cities across the US that day, and leaders braced for more violence ahead of the inauguration.
After the Michigan capitol received bomb threats less than a week after the US Capitol insurrection, the state's attorney general declared the building unsafe.
"My job is not to provide state employees & residents or other visitors to our Capitol with a false sense of security, especially given the current state of affairs in Michigan and around the nation," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wrote. "I repeat-the Michigan Capitol is not safe."
But for as much time and preparation that went into securing the safety of state capitols across the US for Biden's inauguration, very few protesters actually showed up. Only one state, Colorado, saw any real scuffles as protesters set an American flag aflame.
Insider collected scenes from 23 state capitols across the country from local journalists and pedestrians:
New York
Colorado
Michigan
Arizona
Texas
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Washington
California
Connecticut
Kentucky
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Georgia
New Hampshire
Nevada
Utah
Kansas
North Carolina
Vermont
Minnesota
New Mexico
Missouri
