The Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol is set to play a prominent role in the upcoming presidential election, with the two leading candidates for the White House pushing dueling narratives about the legacy of the day’s events.
For President Biden, the attack on the Capitol — when supporters of then-President Trump stormed the complex to try and halt the certification of the 2020 election results — serves as a reminder of how fragile U.S. democracy is and the danger Trump poses to it. It is yet another example of the ongoing battle for the soul of the nation, as Biden put it during his 2020 campaign, a theme he has doubled down on as he seeks another term.
Trump, meanwhile, has minimized the events of Jan. 6 to push the narrative that he and his supporters are being unfairly targeted. He has pledged to pardon those charged with crimes in connection to the riots and continues to rail against investigations into that day, as well as his own criminal charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The conflicting approaches from the leading White House candidates reflect how, three years after the riots, the events of Jan. 6 have become yet another political tool for elected officials to use to motivate voters.
“I think obviously we’re a couple years removed, but it still seems to be very top of mind for some voters,” said Sarah Matthews, a former Trump White House official who resigned over the events of Jan. 6. “Obviously, Biden has kind of framed a lot of his messaging toward the fact that democracy is at stake, and I think that’s going to be a central theme of his campaign.”
Biden is set to speak in Valley Forge, Pa., on Friday, using a backdrop associated with the American Revolution to discuss the resonance of Jan. 6 three years later.
“This Saturday will mark the three-year anniversary of when — with encouragement from Donald Trump — a violent mob breached our nation’s Capitol. It was the first time in our nation’s history that a president tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez told reporters this week.
“The threat Donald Trump posed in 2020 to American democracy has only grown more dire in the years since,” she added. “Our message is clear and it is simple: We are running a campaign like the fate of our democracy depends on it. Because it does.”
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Jan. 6 attack dominates Biden and Trump campaign as race for White House heats up https://t.co/nkDu0Kj5WN pic.twitter.com/h6O37L8Axs
— The Hill (@thehill) January 5, 2024
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