US capitals see few protesters so far

Law enforcement officers have far outnumbered protesters at US state capital grounds, as few Trump supporters who believe the president's false claim that he won the 2020 election turned out for what authorities feared could be violent demonstrations.

More than a dozen states activated National Guard troops to help secure their capital buildings following an FBI warning of armed demonstrations, with right-wing extremists emboldened by the deadly attack on the US Capitol in Washington on January 6.

Security officials had eyed Sunday as the first major flashpoint, as that is when the anti-government "boogaloo" movement made plans weeks ago to hold rallies in all 50 states.

But by late Sunday afternoon, only handfuls of demonstrators had taken to the streets alongside much larger crowds of law enforcement officers and media personnel.

"It was a non-event today and we are glad it was," said Troy Thompson, spokesman for the Department of General Services, the agency that protects the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg.

On Sunday afternoon, police opened streets around the building that had been blocked off in anticipation of bigger crowds.

A small group of about a dozen protesters, a few armed with rifles, stood outside Michigan's capital in Lansing on Sunday afternoon.

By early evening, the capital grounds in Lansing were deserted.

The nationwide security increase followed the attack on the US Capitol by a mix of extremists and Trump supporters, some of whom called for the death of Vice President Mike Pence as he presided over the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.

The FBI and other federal agencies have warned of the potential for future violence leading up to Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, as white supremacists and other extremists seek to exploit frustration among Trump supporters who have bought into his falsehoods about electoral fraud.

Tens of thousands of security personnel from the National Guard and law enforcement agencies have descended upon Washington DC to bolster security ahead of Wednesday's ceremony.

Downtown Washington was a ghost town on Sunday. Gun-toting National Guard soldiers in camouflage manned checkpoints across the city centre, which was closed off to traffic with large military vehicles deployed to block streets.

It was not clear whether the FBI warning and ramped up security presence around the country might have led some protesters to cancel plans to go to their state capitals.

Following the violence in Washington, some militia members said they would not attend a long-planned pro-gun demonstration in Virginia on Monday, where authorities were worried about the risk of violence as multiple groups converged on the state capital, Richmond.

The streets around the statehouse in Richmond were lined with barricades on Sunday afternoon, but aside from a few police officers and reporters, the area was deserted.

Some militias and extremist groups told followers to stay home this weekend, citing the increased security or the risk that the planned events were law enforcement traps.