President Trump issued a statement Wednesday calling for “peace” and urging supporters who stormed the Capitol to “go home” but repeating his claims that the presidential election was stolen from him.
“I know your pain. I know your hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us,” Trump said in a video shot outside the White House. “It was a landslide election, and everyone knows it — especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace.”
Members of Congress met in a joint session to count the electoral votes and affirm Joe Biden as the next president of the United States.
Trump addressed a large rally of his supporters in which he attacked Republican congressional leaders for not backing his challenge. He also pressured Vice President Mike Pence to “come through for us” by rejecting slates of electors he insisted were chosen fraudulently. As Trump was still speaking, Pence announced he had concluded he had no such authority.
Trump offered to lead his supporters on a march to the Capitol. He instead returned to the White House, and fervent backers of the president soon stormed the proceedings. Pence was hustled off by the Secret Service, and the Capitol was locked down. It was the first breach in 200 years.
Biden urged Trump to “step up,” go on national television, and call for an end to the violent confrontation. “It’s not a protest, it’s an insurrection,” the president-elect said.
Trump called for calm and said he didn’t want anyone to get hurt but continued to argue he had been cheated out of his reelection. He also said of the protesters, “We love you. You’re very special.” Twitter flagged his statement as disputed and said it couldn’t be retweeted, replied to, or liked “due to risk of violence.”
The president’s response was unlikely to satisfy his detractors, given that he preceded his call to stand down with the same type of comments that led his supporters to breach the Capitol in the first place. “This is what the president has caused today,” Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, frequent Trump critic, and 2012 GOP presidential nominee told reporters as chaos unfolded. Sen. Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, said in a statement that the mayhem was a predictable result of the “President’s addiction to constantly stoking division.”
Pence was less equivocal than Trump. “The violence and destruction taking place at the US Capitol Must Stop and it Must Stop Now. Anyone involved must respect Law Enforcement officers and immediately leave the building,” the vice president said. “Peaceful protest is the right of every American, but this attack on our Capitol will not be tolerated, and those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Before Trump’s supporters outside Congress descended on the Capitol, his supporters inside were mounting challenges to the electoral votes cast by several states. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, led a group of over a dozen senators in support of House Republican efforts to object to the submitted counts. Before the Capitol was locked down, Cruz signed on to an objection to Arizona’s slate by Rep. Paul Gosar, a Republican from the state.
Trump and his allies have alleged voter fraud and systemic irregularities, but the courts have not agreed with any claims that would alter the outcome of the election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rebuked his colleagues for overturn state results “on this extraordinarily thin basis.” The Kentucky Republican also rejected the idea that the futility of the effort made it harmless symbolism.
The anger of the protesters, who are convinced that Trump is correct in saying that the election was stolen and the country’s major institutions had turned a blind eye toward the theft, appeared to support McConnell’s argument. The result may be the biggest rift between Trump and GOP congressional leaders since the Access Hollywood tape was released during the 2016 campaign, less than two weeks before the president’s term is set to expire.
Wednesday’s violence comes on the heels of a pair of Georgia Senate runoffs that broke for the Democrats after some Trump supporters urged a boycott of the elections to protest the state’s handling of the presidential race. The outcome would hand Democrats control of the chamber once President-elect Kamala Harris is sworn into office. Biden narrowly won Georgia and was awarded its electoral votes. It is among the states where Trump is contesting the results.
In addition to his video statement, Trump tweeted, “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!” He subsequently reminded supporters: “WE are the Party of Law & Order.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
