President Trump on Wednesday urged his supporters who laid siege to the Capitol to “go home in peace,” hours after they first forced their way into the building.
In a one-minute taped video released on social media, Trump urged his supporters to disperse. But he reiterated his false claims that his election defeat was “fraudulent,” which was the basis for the protest in the first place.
“You have to go home now. We have to have peace,” Trump said. “We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt.”
“This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people,” he continued. “We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace.”
The video did not contain any clear condemnation of the violence at the Capitol, despite pleas from current and former White House officials and lawmakers for the president to speak out against the mob.
Instead, Trump continued to stoke conspiracy theories about the election result and painted his supporters as victims even as they were the ones who initiated violence on Wednesday.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who had described the riot in the Capitol as a “coup attempt,” called the president’s video message “cowardice.”
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