Trump, who has refused to concede his loss to Democratic president-elect Joe Biden, urged his supporters multiple times to go to Washington for a rally on Wednesday – the day the US House of Representatives and Senate were scheduled to certify the results of the Electoral College vote.
Appearing at what could be his last rally as the sitting president, Trump exhorted his supporters “to fight”. Pro-Trump protesters clash with Capitol police at a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 presidential election results by the US Congress, at the Capitol Building in Washington on January 6 2021. Picture: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr Trump.Biden had come out forcefully on live television and said the violence was “not a protest, it’s insurrection”. He called on Trump to demand “an end to this siege”.“I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election,” Trump said, repeating familiar falsehoods. “But you have to go home now. We have to have peace.