January 6th, 2021: A day many have called a dark day for American democracy. While senators and house representatives met to certify the electoral college votes, demonstrators met outside the Capitol building to protest this process. They gathered in the name of President Trump because they felt this election was unfairly stolen from him. Though there is scarce evidence to support this accusation, Trump has continued to feed these claims to his dedicated supporters. Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, has said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Barr handled many of Trump’s legal proceedings over the years and analyzed the election fraud claims. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two cases rejected by the Supreme Court (Associated Press). Even with three of the current justices appointed by himself, the judges did not lean in his favor. 

These Trump supporters had every right to protest, as the right of the people peaceably to assemble is protected in the Constitution. However, they did not have the right to storm the Capitol Building, threaten politicians, and vandalize the government building. This attack left millions of Americans to watch at home, terrified, wondering what the fate of our country will be. They were not protestors; they were domestic terrorists. Among the rioters who went on a rampage throughout the Capitol were self-proclaimed Neo-Nazis and fascists, white nationalists, and members of far-right extremists groups such as the Proud Boys and Qanon. In addition to Trump merch, some rioters sported clothing that would suggest they identify with these groups. One specific rioter wore a shirt that the front read “Camp Auschwitz,” and the back read “Counselor.” Anyone with even just a basic understanding of the Holocaust can understand the horrific implications of this shirt and what message the man was trying to send: he is a present-day Nazi promoting dehumanization and hatred. This man was photographed wearing this anti-semitic shirt in the hallways of our nation’s Capitol building. Though not every person at the Capitol that day in support of Donald Trump was affiliated with these groups, it is essential to note that these groups were there and wanted to make their presence and beliefs known. 

Amid the chaos of the Capitol building attack, many politicians from both parties were calling for President Trump to make a statement. I remember sitting at home watching this all unfold on MSNBC. Numerous politicians called in, even close advisors of the president. They all had the same message for him; he needed to call the rioters off. He needed to denounce the attack as it was happening. He needed to do something. Politicians’ and civilians’ lives were at stake, and ideologies rooted in bigotry were on display in our nation’s most important building. `

Eventually, the word reached news outlets that Trump had put out a statement on his social media just moments prior. However, this statement was almost as appalling as the insurrection itself. I remember watching it, shocked; however, looking back, the statement was a true testament to Trump’s rhetoric and actions in the months following the election. 

He started his statement by consoling the terrorists, stating, “I know your pain. I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us.” Right away, Trump opened this video by continuing to spread the false narrative that encouraged his followers to storm the Capitol in the first place. He also claimed that it was a “landslide election,” and “everyone knows that.” Not only does everyone know that, but especially the “other side,” implying the Democratic party orchestrated this so-called fraudulent election, and the party knows they are guilty of this. Trump decided to villanize many politicians when the same politicians feared for their lives in the Capitol building. This video was intended to reach the insurrectionists, so for the welfare of the Democrats who were likely being targeted, Trump’s word choice was poor. 

He continued his statement by promoting “law and order”, one of Trump’s beloved phrases from his time as president. Trump then went on a tangent, claiming that “[t]here has never been a time like this before, where such a thing happened where they could take it away from all of us.” This specific quotation was prolonging the portrayal of a stolen election. The insurrectionists believed they were participating in a necessary attack to preserve Trump’s presidency. These words spoken by their leader seemed encouraging, not denouncing. If there has never been a time like this before, why should they back down? Trump may have been preaching “law and order,” but this message is insincere considering Trump’s diction’s underlying connotation. 

In my opinion, the most horrific words spoken in this message were Trump’s closing remarks. He appeased his fanbase, stroking their egos while gently prodding them to “go home. We love you. You’re very special.” Words cannot describe the state of shock I was in when hearing these words spoken from the United States’ then president. There was a reason why I made it a priority of mine to detail the kinds of people who participated in this insurrection. These were not American patriots, by any definition. I will state it once again. There were self-proclaimed Neo-Nazis and Fascists, white nationalists, and members of far-right extremist groups present. They were threatening our democratic process and attacking our nation’s Capitol building. These people should be condemned by Trump, not loved. They should not be receiving praise after participating in such atrocities and holding such hateful views. 

This video from Trump released in the midst of the Capitol building attack was barely over a minute in length, yet there was a lot to unpack. Though Trump spoke out about the insurrection at a later date, the damage was already done. Americans have been left horrified by the events of January 6th, no matter the party affiliation. On that day, we needed a strong response from Trump. We needed him to call in the National Guard immediately and apologize to the nation. We needed a clear denunciation of violence, not a placation of clear terrorism. Instead, he praised those who infringed on our democratic certification of a fair election. He half-heartedly promoted peace while continuing the broken rhetoric that motivated these terrorists in the first place. January 6th will always live in infamy within our history, and Trump’s response will be immortalized.