Groups of hundreds of President Trump's supporters rallied in cities across the country Saturday to show they stand behind the new White House and its policies.
Some of the "March 4 Trump" rallies were met by counter-protesters, and there were clashes between supporters and anti-Trump demonstrators at several events, police said.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, six were arrested and charged with rioting and disorderly conduct after "50 anti-Trump protesters started a big fight in our rotunda area," Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Tiffani Nielson said. About 300 Trump supporters attended the rally before the skirmish broke out, she said.
In Berkeley, California, punches were thrown and smoke bombs were set off during demonstrations. In Olympia, Washington, four people were arrested for assault on a police during a clash between demonstrators, Washington State Patrol Sgt. James Prouty said.
Trump's claims that former President Barack Obama ordered the former real estate mogul’s "'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory" remained at the forefront of some Trump supporters’ minds at a rally of several hundred in New York City.
A spokesman for Obama called the claim "unequivocally false." Hundreds of Trump supporters gathered outside Trump Tower in New York. Blaring vuvuzelas and shouting "don't wiretap me bro," many said they are frustrated at the division throughout the country.
Related: Obama Spokesman Disputes Trump's Wiretapping Claim
Jovi Vaughn, who helped organize Saturday’s rally outside Trump Tower, said he was there to unite the country under the president. Although the crowds that gathered at demonstrations across the country were smaller than previous anti-Trump protests, the supporters made their voices heard.
At the nation's capital, nearly a hundred people stood in the shadow of the Washington Monument to peacefully demonstrate their solidarity with the president.
Jessica Castro and Randy Behm drove from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, just to attend the march. Draped in a Trump/Pence flag, Castro said she would like to see the media spend more time covering the president’s allegations of Obama’s wrongdoings.
"It’s kind of mind boggling we’re still talking some Russian influence and yet we still have more substantial things that need to be investigated and they don’t get the same attention," she said.
Related: Under Fire, Sessions Agrees to Submit Amended Russia Testimony
Castro said she was a lifelong Democrat, but she decided to vote for President Trump because she was attracted to his blunt honesty. Now she demands the same from the media.
“Truth doesn’t have an obligation to make you feel good, it’s true whether you like it or not,” she said. “I think we’ve been so politically correct for so long that when you hear the truth and it makes you uncomfortable you just turn away and that’s what happened to a lot of Americans.”
