Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was one of a handful Republican lawmakers to show up at a Tuesday protest in New York City ahead of former President Donald Trump’s expected arraignment later in the day. The rally, which Greene led alongside the New York Young Republicans, drew a crowd of a few dozen Trump supporters, who appeared to be outnumbered by media at times.
The sparse attendance by other elected Republicans highlighted the limitations of what members of the party might be willing to do for Trump, even though they’ve broadly lambasted the charges against him as politically motivated and unfounded. Greene’s headlining of the event comes after Trump previously called for his supporters to “protest” the charges, a rallying cry that raised concerns of a repeat of the deadly January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, when the former president similarly asked supporters to contest the election results. Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was also spotted by reporters in the crowd of the protest, and was seen headed toward the courthouse where the arraignment is set to take place.
January 6’s violence — and its legal fallout — have complicated efforts to drum up support for pro-Trump protests. While many lawmakers are eager to show their support for Trump, they’ve largely chosen to do so through fundraising efforts. A previous New York protest on March 20 was also poorly attended, and protests in South Carolina and California drew small crowds this past week as well. Most GOP lawmakers appear unwilling to put themselves in a position where they could be linked to Trump-related violence, and in the face of ongoing trials for insurrectionists, grassroots supporters appear hesitant to do so as well.
The New York Young Republicans pointedly described the Tuesday rally as a “peaceful protest” that called out the political persecution of Trump’s indictment, with Greene warning participants against violence. The rally took place at…
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