On Wednesday, supporters of President Trump heeded his call to go to the U.S. Capitol, where Congress was certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the November 2020 election. Rioters stormed the building , smashed windows, took over House and Senate floors, and rummaged in lawmakers’ offices.
A supporter of President Donald Trump confronts police as extremists demonstrate on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate after breaching security defenses, in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Theiler
In response, the Capitol went on lockdown and the tallying of Biden’s Electoral College victory was put on hold . As rioters ransacked the building, some officials received tear gas masks and others, including Vice President Mike Pence, were evacuated. One woman was shot and later died, according to reports .
Rep. David Trone wears a gas mask inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S., January 6, 2021, in this still image obtained from social media. Twitter/@RepDavidTrone/via REUTERS.
In televised remarks, Biden said , "The scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect a true America, do not reflect who we are." He said the people who infiltrated the building are a "small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness." Biden urged Trump to "go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege."
Later, President Trump posted a video on Twitter saying, “We had an election that was stolen from us. 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. We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt.”
Twitter then removed his video Tweet, suspended his account for 12 hours, and warned about permanently banning him if violence continues.
After the day’s events, KCRW wants to know: What do you think about the insurrection at the Capitol? How are you processing what happened? Share your thoughts below, and our newsroom might share your submissions online and on-air.
