Biden inauguration: Lone Trump supporter shows for New York protest

Despite warnings of armed revolt ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration, the expected crowds did not show up.

But 28-year-old Mark Leggiero did.

The Trump supporter was the only person to show up and protest at New York's state capitol in Albany.

Carrying a flag showing a gun-toting Trump figure, Leggiero stood forlornly in front of the state capitol, telling a local reporter: "I'm looking for more patriots."

The FBI had warned of the possibility for armed demonstrations leading up to the inauguration after President Donald Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed the election was stolen from him.

But the day's events were relatively drama-free, in Washington DC and around the country.

Leggiero said he drove 45 minutes to Albany for a peaceful protest and expected to find at least a thousand Trump devotees there.

Mark Leggiero,28, is lone Trump supporters at the Capitol in Albany before noon, looking to hold a peaceful demonstration. “I’m looking for more patriots.” pic.twitter.com/qlFD1copWO

— Michael Gormley (@GormleyAlbany) January 20, 2021

Leggiero was mocked mercilessly on Twitter for his solo stand.

Nobody:

Mark Leggiero: pic.twitter.com/8u8ii7v2xU

— 🍪 (@Cukiex3) January 20, 2021

This is why black folks always ask “who all gone be there?” https://t.co/J0sNxkeYs4

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) January 20, 2021

Mark Leggiero got what he wanted, a peaceful protest. https://t.co/L0pmOna9Qo

— Fran Sparks (@FranSparks18) January 20, 2021

Elsewhere, calm prevailed outside heavily fortified state capitol buildings across the US as Joe Biden was sworn in as president.

Fewer than a half-dozen demonstrators showed up outside the capitols in Concord, New Hampshire, and Lansing, Michigan. A lone protester wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat stood outside a chain-link fence surrounding the California Capitol in Sacramento, as dozens of police officers and National Guard troops guarded every entrance.

So lonely. Photo / AP

Three protesters were outside the Nebraska Capitol in Lincoln, one waving a flag that read "Biden is not the president".

Dump trucks, prison buses and other government vehicles were used to barricade streets around the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, though no protesters were there.

Michigan lawmakers canceled a session scheduled for Wednesday out of caution. But in Wisconsin, legislators planned to move ahead with a committee hearing that was to be open to the public.

- Additional reporting, AP