Lisa Mascaro, Zeke Miller and Marie Claire Jalonick. By
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden on Thursday accused Donald Trump and his supporters of placing a “dagger in the throat of democracy” with election lies that led to the deadly attack on the US Capitol last year, using the anniversary of the attack. warned that the system of the US government is in immediate danger.
The president set the tone on a day of remembrance that brought fiery speeches, moments of silence, and painful accounts recalling the gruesome hours of January 6, 2021, when Trump’s crowds laid siege to the Capitol and rioters resumed routine. Tried to prevent formal verification of election results.
Notably, almost no Republicans joined Biden and the Democrats some expected it to be a day of reconciliation. Instead, it was a fresh and shocking display of a nation still torn by the lies that led to the riots, its destabilizing results and Trump’s relentless grip on a large part of the country.
“For the first time in our history, a president not only lost the election, he tried to prevent a peaceful transfer of power as violent mobs ransacked the Capitol,” Biden said. “You can’t love your country when you win.”
Biden’s criticism of the defeated president was rife with condemnation of the attack that has fundamentally changed Congress and the nation, and raised global concerns about the future of American democracy.
Their voices echoed several times, echoing in the ornate Statue Hall where rioters laid siege, with the president calling on Americans to remember January 6 with their own eyes: Crowds attack police and smash windows, the Capitol’s A Confederate flag inside, a gallows erected outside amid calls to hang the vice president – while Trump was watching TV at the White House.
“The supporters of the former president are trying to rewrite history,” Biden said, incredulous. “They want you to see Election Day as a day of rebellion and the riots here on January 6th as a true expression of the will of the people. Would you like to see America, to see this country and more? Can think in a twisted way? I can’t.”
Until the anniversary, Biden had referred to the attack only sparingly, but he weighed in aggressively on Thursday and combined his message with a call for voting rights legislation that Democrats have been urging for a long time.
The president’s remarks drew a contrast with the false narratives made about the Capitol attack, including the refusal of many Republicans to confirm that Biden had won the 2020 election. Five people died in the Capitol siege and the immediate aftermath.
“We need to be very clear about what is true and what is false,” Biden said. “The former President of the United States has spread a web of lies about the 2020 election.”
Yet when the president spoke, the defeated Trump showed no sign of letting go, a show of division in the country emphasizing the silence and absence of most Republicans joining Biden at the Capitol.
From Florida, Trump revived his baseless attack on the elections. He accepted no responsibility for sending thousands of supporters to the Capitol that day when he told them to “fight like hell”. As of Thursday evening, he was sending out a fundraising appeal.
Even among Republicans in Congress, who later in the day condemned the attack, some now spoke of it that way – some joining in on the false portrayal of Trump.
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted, “What a shameless politicization of January 6th by President Biden, a sometimes Trump confidant, who initially said he left to quickly embrace Trump again after the riots.” Had given.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell – who said at the time that Trump was “practically and morally” responsible for the attack – issued a statement that highlighted the seriousness of the day, but also said that some Democrats would Were trying to take advantage of it for purposes. Along with a contingent attending the funeral of former Allied Senator Johnny Isaacson in Georgia, he was absent.
Rep. Liz Cheney, the deputy chairman of the House committee investigating the attack and one of the few GOP lawmakers who attended Capitol gatherings, warned that “the danger continues.” Trump, she said, “continues to make the same claims that he knows there was violence on January 6th.”
“Unfortunately, too many people in my own party are embracing the former president, looking the other way or downplaying the threat,” she told NBC’s “Today” show. “This is how democracies die. We just can’t let that happen.”
She was accompanied by her father, Dick Cheney, a former vice president and now a Republican veteran. He was the only member of the GOP to be seen on the floor of the House for a moment of silence.
Dick Cheney was congratulated by several Democrats and said in a statement: “I am deeply disappointed at the failure of many members of our party to recognize the serious nature of the January 6 attacks and the ongoing threat to our country.”
During Thursday, lawmakers shared their experiences of being trapped in the House or running away from the Senate as the siege continued for hours. Michigan Representative Dan Kildy shows a piece of glass he keeps in his pocket from one of the capitol’s broken windows.
“January 6 is not over,” he said, suffocating. “The danger, and the lie that fuels that danger, rears its head.” He said: We really need the truth to protect our democracy.
The House panel probing the rebellion plans to spend the coming months tracing and revealing what happened with the public hearings.
Biden and his administration have come under criticism from some in his party for not explaining how they believe democracy is at risk, or pushing Congress enough to pass an election and voting rights law. Which has been stalled by a Republican filibuster in the Senate.
Former President Barack Obama said that nothing is more important than ensuring the right to vote.
“Our democracy is at greater risk today than ever before,” Obama said in a statement.
Biden’s address, and that of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is leading the administration’s efforts on voting and election legislation, appeared to be a direct response to critics.
“We must pass the Voting Rights Bill,” Harris said in his address. “We can’t sit on the edge.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi drew on history with hopes that Americans would turn to their “better angels” to resolve differences. Lawmakers held an evening vigil on the Capitol stairs.
Other remembrances – or demonstrations – across the country were few and far between.
Biden’s scathing message and Republican distance from it comes as lawmakers are adjusting to the new normal on Capitol Hill – rising tensions many worry will lead to more violence or, someday, actually reverse a legitimate election He is going.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that 3 in 10 Republicans say the attack was not violent. Nearly two-thirds of Americans described the day as very or extremely violent, including 9 out of 10 Democrats.
The percentage of Americans who blame Trump for the riots has risen slightly over the past year, with 57% saying he bears significant responsibility, up from 50% in the days following the attack.
Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud have been dismissed by courts and overruled by his own Justice Department.
An investigation by the AP found fewer than 475 cases of voter fraud in the 25.5 million ballots cast in six battleground states disputed by Trump, a modest number in percentage terms.
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Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Kevin Freaking, Jill Colvin, Alexandra Jaffe and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.
