Hours after the violence began at the United States Capitol, on Wednesday, 6 January, with his supporters storming the building, US incumbent President Donald Trump, in a taped video message, addressed his supporters.
“I know your pain, I know you are hurt... But you have to go home now,” said Trump.
Asking his supporters to "go home in peace", Trump continued to call the 2020 US Presidential a "stolen" and a "fraudulent" one.
“We had an election that was stolen from us, it was a landslide election ... There’s never been a time like this where such a thing happened, where they could take it away from all of us, from me, from you, from our country. This was a fraudulent election. But we can’t play into the hands of these people, we have to have peace,” he said.
Trump failed to condemn the protesters, even going so far as to say “We love you”.
In an initial tweet, Trump said:
“I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you![sic]”
'Enough Is Enough': Joe Biden
Addressing the press, while visuals of pro-Trump protesters storming the US Capitol emerged, US President-elect Joe Biden said “enough is enough”.
“For nearly two and a half century, we, the people, have kept our eye on the common good. America is so much better than what we have seen today.”Joe Biden, US President-elect Joe Biden
Biden added that the has never been “anything we can’t do, when we do it together.” He tweeted:
“Let me be very clear: the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not represent who we are. What we are seeing is a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. This is not dissent, it’s disorder. It borders on sedition, and it must end. Now.”Joe Biden, US President-elect Joe Biden
Background
Pro-Trump protesters stormed the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, 6 January.
Members of both Houses of the US Congress were meeting to conduct the vote certifying the Electoral College victory of Joe Biden in the US presidential election. Both Houses have had to be evacuated and the vote has been suspended as the crisis continues.
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