By Sadie Murphy
Today January 6, 2021, at approximately 12 p.m., Donald Trump addressed the public regarding the confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden.
“All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by bold and radical left-wing Democrats, what they are doing, and stolen by fake media. That’s what they did and what they are doing. We will never give up. We will never give in. You do not concede when there is theft. -President Donald Trump1
About 15 minutes after the rally ended, supporters were seen heading towards the Capitol.
Within three hours, these protesters had stormed into the US Senate chamber, prompting the evacuation of lawmakers. Photos of those lawmakers, dressed in gas masks to protect them from the tear gas that was deployed, can be found all over the web.
By 4 p.m. machine guns were visible on officers and pepper spray had become a real threat to protesters. By this point, President Trump had mobilized the DC National Guard to join the Secret Service and National Guard departments of other states.
President-elect Biden addressed the audience and President Trump.
“Let me be very clear: the scenes of chaos on Capitol Hill do not reflect the real America. It’s not who we are. What we see is a small number of extremists bent on anarchy. It is not dissent. It’s the mess. It’s chaos. It’s borderline sedition. And it must end. Now. I call on this mob to stand down and let the work of democracy go forward. You have heard me say this in different contexts: the words of a president are important, whether they are good or bad. At best, the words of a president can inspire. At worst, they can incite. Therefore, I call on President Trump to go on national television, now, to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege. – President-elect Joe Biden2
Thirty minutes later, President Trump responded in a video on Twitter (this video has since been removed from Twitter), confirming his beliefs (and those of his supporters) that the election was rigged, but advising them to go home them peacefully. Trump further called these people “beloved” and “very special.” Despite this, the protesters were too stubborn to leave the scene.
Other politicians had different attitudes towards the protesters. Our own Senator Joe Manchin III, ref
called these individuals “thugs” on his Facebook account.
Congress resumed around 8:30 p.m. tonight to pursue certification. Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell denounced the actions of the rioters.
The Phoenix will follow tomorrow with feedback from the college and the local community.
- Watch the full video @ Fact-checking Trump’s Jan. 6 speech to ‘stop theft’ from protesters – Reuters
- Watch the full video @ WATCH: President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks on the situation in DC (wsls.com)
- For a timeline of events, visit From inciting a crowd to send them home, a timeline of Trump’s day | national post
