In the two and a half weeks since he first announced the January 6th "protest," extremists and conspiracy theorists plotted to make the unprecedented, presidentially announced protest against the peaceful transfer of power "wild" indeed. Meanwhile, event organizers and White House staffers prepared for the final rally of President Trump's term.
6.11 HOW THE WHITE HOUSE AND RALLY ORGANIZERS PREPARED FOR JANUARY 6TH
In the days following President Trump's tweet, rally organizers secured permits for about one dozen events in Washington, DC on January 5th and 6th.[372] At 7:12 a.m., not even 6 hours after President Trump's tweet, Cindy Chafian, an executive at Women for America First (WFAF), emailed the National Park Service (NPS) about an event that had been planned to coincide with President-elect Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021.[373] Chafian's ask was simple: "Can I change the date to January 6th?"[374]
WFAF was founded in 2019 by Amy and Kylie Kremer, a motherdaughter pair who were longtime supporters of the President.[375] WFAF became a significant player in the "Stop the Steal" movement.[376] The Kremers started a "Stop the Steal" Facebook group that gathered some 365,000 members in less than 24 hours.[377] Their online organizing coincided with their on-the-ground mobilization activities. The Kremers organized a bus tour to promote the Big Lie, in addition to events in Washington, DC on November 14, 2020, and December 12, 2020.[378] After President Trump's December 19th tweet, the Kremers focused on January 6th. Kylie Kremer proudly declared their support on Twitter: "The calvary [sic] is coming, President! JANUARY 6th | Washington, DC TrumpMarch.com #MarchForTrump #StopTheSteal."[379] After the date of their permit was revised, WFAF ultimately provided President Trump the stage on the Ellipse where he would direct the crowd to march on the Capitol.[380]
The Kremers were not alone in responding quickly to the President's tweet. Ali Alexander, the founder of Stop the Steal, LLC,[381] was eager to get ahead of other organizers. On the morning of December 19th, Alexander told his event planner, "Everyone is trying to get the jump on us so I'd like to get the court side of the capitol (lawn) and I'd like to get capitol steps and court."[382] Alexander told his event planner to "grab whatever we can. All of it."[383] Alexander's team did just that: they registered and launched a new website, WildProtest.com,[384] which advertised planned events for January 6th under a banner that read: "President Trump Wants You in DC January 6."[385]
Still other organizers were quick to seize on the President's tweet. Arina Grossu and Robert Weaver, co-founders of the self-proclaimed "JudeoChristian" Jericho March organization,[386] held a rally in Washington, DC on
