Addressing the people of America on the one year anniversary of attack on the United States (US) Capitol, US President Joe Biden on Thursday, 6 January said:
"This wasn't a group of tourists. This was an armed insurrection. They weren't looking to uphold the will of the people. They were looking to deny the will of the people.”
Without taking names, Biden further went on to lambast a “former President of the United States” – an evident reference to previous US President Donald Trump who was still in power at the time of the capitol attack, and say:
"Here is the truth: The former president of the United States has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election… He’s done so because he values power over principle. Because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or Constitution.”
Further Biden alleged that countries like China and Russia are betting “that America is a place for the autocrat, the dictator, the strongman,” before going on to say:
"That is not who we are. That is not who we have ever been. And that is not who we should ever, ever be. Our Founding Fathers, as imperfect as they were, set a motion and experiment that changed the world... Power would be transferred peacefully, never at the tip of a spear or a barrel of a gun.”
"The former president who lies about this election and the mob that attacked this Capitol could not be further away from the core American values,” Biden further added.
WHAT DID VP HARRIS SAY?
Prior to Biden, US Vice President Kamala Harris said: “6 January reflects the dual nature of democracy – its fragility and its strength."
"And the fragility of democracy is this: if we are not vigilant, if we do not defend it, democracy simply will not stand… it will falter, and fail."US Vice President Kamala Harris
BACKGROUND
Earlier in the day, Biden had tweeted:
“One year ago today, democracy was attacked. The will of the people was under assault. And our Constitution faced the gravest of threats. I’m heading to the Capitol this morning to speak about the day of insurrection, the state of American democracy, and where we go from here.”
On 6 January 2021, thousands of Trump supporters had stormed the US Capitol in an effort to overturn President Joe Biden's election victory. They had been motivated by Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
Five deaths were connected with the events of the day: taking place either shortly before, during or after. Many others, including 138 police officers, were injured in the ruckus that ensued.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)