Trump, in Iowa, skirts Jan. 6 talk on attack's anniversary
NEWTON, Iowa, (Reuters) - Donald Trump largely avoided speaking of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol during a campaign event yesterday, which took place on the attack's third anniversary, reflecting the degree to which Republican voters have absolved him of responsibility for that day's events.
Speaking to a crowd of hundreds of supporters in the town of Newton, Iowa, the former president brought up Jan. 6 only once. He repeated previous claims that Democratic President Joe Biden, who he is likely to face in a general election rematch in November, is the true threat to democracy.
"You know this guy (Biden) goes around and says I'm a threat to democracy," Trump said. "No, he's a threat because he's incompetent. He's a threat to democracy."
"Nobody thought J.6. was even a possibility," Trump said later, without elaborating.
Trump also attacked former Republican Representative Liz Cheney, who has been sharply critical of Trump since the Jan. 6 attack, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol as legislators were certifying Biden's 2020 election victory.
Biden has repeatedly called Trump a threat to democracy on the trail, and that messaging has emerged as an central theme of his campaign so far. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke of Jan. 6 at length during an event in South Carolina on Saturday.
At recent campaign events in Iowa, Trump's supporters - and even supporters of other Republican presidential hopefuls - have downplayed the significance of Jan. 6, and many have embraced conspiracy theories regarding the events of that day.