Supporters of US President Donald Trump held a rally in Washington on Saturday a week after the presidential race was called for Democrat Joe Biden. Video / AP
US President Donald Trump has responded in a bitter series of posts after admitting for the first time that his Democratic opponent Joe Biden won the US election.
Though a backhanded comment aimed at Biden, Trump earlier appeared to make a nod to defeat overnight, writing on Twitter regarding thepresident-elect: "He won because the Election was Rigged".
The comments were among a slew of disputed claims the president made on social media, all of which Twitter flagged.
Yet soon after news of Trump's admission hit headlines, he posted again, claiming he concedes "nothing" and that "we have a long way to go".
Still, the remarks surrounding Biden are considered as an important first acknowledgment for Trump, who despite legal battles and losing both electoral and popular votes, has refused to concede defeat.
Neither has he followed any of the usual transitional procedures with messages for the president-elect stacking up in the US State Department due to Trump's refusal.
To date the President's legal team has not won a single case which has baselessly alleged that voter fraud and the presence of illegal votes led to Mr Biden's win.
Out of the near-20 lawsuits filed by his team, the majority have since been withdrawn or denounced by judges.
Trump claimed as recently as Saturday that he had won the election, tweeting, "We will WIN!" as he rallied supporters.
He won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn’t even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more! https://t.co/Exb3C1mAPg
It come as shocking images emerged of bloodied and bruised protesters following a rally in Washington DC in support of the US President.
The ABC's Philip Williams spoke of "very ugly scenes" as protesters were set upon.
TRUMP LOYALISTS MOUNT LAST STAND
Earlier, thousands of diehard Donald Trump supporters rallied for a last stand in Washington, chanting "four more years" and blaming fraud for an election defeat that will force the president to vacate the White House after just one term.
Trump himself made a drive-past in his armoured motorcade, on his way to play golf, smiling through his limousine window to wild cheers and signs saying "Best prez ever" and "Trump 2020: Keep America Great."
A woman gestures as she argues with a counter-protester after supporters of President Donald Trump held marches in Washington. Photo / AP
Later, he took to Twitter with a series of tweets and retweets that included claims of voting machines potentially being hacked and complaints about news networks' coverage of the rallies.
Twitter slapped labels on at least eight of the posts as containing "disputed" information.
At least 10,000 people — few wearing masks — massed on the city's Freedom Plaza before marching towards the Supreme Court, brandishing flags in a raucous atmosphere reminiscent of a Trump campaign rally.
"President Trump deserves to see who's behind him, he deserves to feel the love," marcher Kris Napolitana, from Baltimore, told AFP.
"I believe that he's going to win when all the fraud and cheating is found out."
With right-wing militia group the Proud Boys also among those attending, a large security presence was deployed to prevent clashes with anti-Trump events outside the Supreme Court.
Groups of counter-protesters stood nearby, some yelling about social justice and Trump supporters not wearing masks.
There were a number of scuffles, but no major violence had been reported. By late afternoon, Washington police said there had been 10 arrests, including four for firearm violations and one for assault on a police officer, without providing further details.
