On Tuesday, as lawmakers prepare a resolution calling for his removal from office, US President Donald Trump defended the remarks that he made that incited a mob to storm the US capitol.
When questioned if he felt any personal responsibility over the riot at the Capitol, Trump replied,
“If you read my speech, and many people have done it and I’ve seen it both in the papers and in the media, on television, it’s been analysed and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate.”
"Everybody to a 'T' thought it was totally appropriate," he added.
Trump's remarks came in hours before the House was preparing to vote on a resolution that calls on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the incumbent President from office.
The attack on the Capitol on Wednesday, 6 January, came after Trump repeatedly spoke of a "stolen" and "fraudulent" election after his loss. He encouraged crowds to march to the building, saying "You'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong."
Slow to react after his supporters stormed the building, he eventually sent out a couple of tweets and a video calling for peaceful protest while also repeating his false claims about the election and telling the rioters he “loved” them.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers recognise Trump's role in inciting the riot. Trump has also been banned on Twitter and Facebook, which he called "a terrible mistake" by "big tech".
"There's always a counter move when they do that. I've never seen such anger as I see right now, and that's a terrible thing," he said. "We have tremendous support. We have support probably like nobody has ever seen before," he said, before adding the disclaimer, "always have to avoid violence."
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