Outgoing president Donald Trump took no responsibility Tuesday for the riot at the Capitol last week, saying his pre-riot speech was “totally appropriate.”
During remarks Tuesday morning — his first press address since directing protesters to focus on the Capitol last Wednesday and “show strength” — he said, “It’s been analyzed and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate and if you look at what other people have said — politicians at a high level — about the riots during the summer, the horrible riots in Portland and Seattle and various other places, that was a real problem, what they said.”
Trump did not identify which “people” analyzed and thought his comments were “totally appropriate.”
He also lashed out at House Democrats who began the process of impeaching him Monday, accusing him of “incitement of an insurrection.”
Trump said the impeachment attempt, which follows his first impeachment from 2019, is “totally ridiculous.” He also said it is “causing tremendous danger to our country and causing tremendous anger.”
He added he wants “no violence.”
On Monday, reports emerged that the FBI expects armed protests in all 50 states the week of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
As for the bans he’s received from most of the major social media and tech platforms in the days since the deadly riot, he said, “Big Tech has made a terrible mistake and very, very bad for our country.”
Demonstrators who support Trump and his ongoing efforts to overturn the election using baseless claims of voter fraud attended a protest in the nation’s capital last Wednesday. At Trump’s urging, some turned their attention to the Capitol building, breaching it during the joint session of Congress meant to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Six deaths have been associated with the violent siege, including those of two Capitol police officers.
Q: "What is your role in what happened at the Capitol? What is your personal responsibility?"
President Trump: "If you read my speech…people thought that what I said was totally appropriate." pic.twitter.com/90Pdt8xFSz
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 12, 2021
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