A lone supporter of former President Donald Trump was spotted outside of the New York State Capitol on Wednesday protesting the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
Mark Leggiero, according to Spectrum News reporter Morgan Mckay, traveled 45 minutes under the belief that he’d be joining thousands of fellow Trump supporters for a peaceful assembly.
Instead, Leggiero was disappointed to find that no one else showed up.
Speaking with Peter R. Barber, a photographer for the Daily Gazette, Leggiero admitted that he felt as if he was supporting a lost cause.
“I was coming out to hopefully join a bunch of peaceful protesters in supporting the cause, that’s is almost a lost cause now, unfortunately, I’m sad to say,” he said.
Victimized by conspiracy theories that falsely claimed the election was stolen, many conservatives held out hope that Trump would somehow secure a second term.
The false claims are ultimately what led the president’s most ardent loyalists to storm the nation’s Capitol earlier in January, leading to the death of five people in the process.
While reports indicated that unrest could take place across the country on Wednesday, Trump supporters in the run-up to the inauguration appeared to express concern online that showing up to protests could result in a “false flag” attack by the government to frame them for violence.
Ironically, the very same conspiratorial mindset that led to the violence at the Capitol may have, in part, prevented further violence.
Despite Trump’s administration coming to an end, Leggiero added that the former commander-in-chief, in his mind, will always be his president.
“He gave me spirit he gave me pride, he wanted me to live free,” Leggiero said.
