Biden to talk at Capitol riot anniversary
Dems plan media blitz as Trump bails
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden will mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly Jan 6 assault on the United States’ Capitol by Donald Trump’s followers with a speech today warning of the threats to democracy, while Mr Trump abandoned plans for a news conference that day as he reprised his attacks on Democrats and the media.
The White House said Mr Biden would push back against Mr Trump’s false claims, adopted by many of his followers, that his election defeat was the result of widespread fraud, as well as attempts to downplay the violence of the worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812.
“The president is going to speak to the truth of what happened, not the lies that some have spread since, and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday, in the first preview of Mr Biden’s remarks.
“He will also speak to the work we still need to do to secure and strengthen our democracy and our institutions to reject the hatred and lies we saw on Jan 6, and to unite our country,” she added.
Democrats will attempt to amplify those themes throughout the day. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has scheduled events including a session with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham designed to put the events in context, along with testimonials from lawmakers about their experience during the attack.
Mr Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to speak today at the US Capitol, one year after thousands of Trump supporters raided the complex in a failed attempt to stop the counting of Electoral College votes by lawmakers that officially delivered the Democratic president’s election victory. Mr Trump on Tuesday cancelled a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that had been scheduled for today, saying he would address many of the same topics at a rally in Arizona on Jan 15 instead. It was not clear why Mr Trump cancelled the news conference, which had originally been announced on Dec 21 last year.
The cancellation was announced as senior Republicans on Capitol Hill signaled they would avoid the spotlight today. That approach appeared to be a tacit admission of the political risks in Mr Trump’s strategy of denying his role in the events of that day, along with the results of the election.
In a statement, Mr Trump blamed what he called the “bias and dishonesty” of the House of Representatives probe of Jan 6, as well as the news media, a favourite target.
The Jan 6 anniversary comes as Mr Trump continues to fight to block the release of White House records sought by the House committee investigating the attack.
Mr Trump, some fellow Republicans and right-wing media personalities have pushed false accounts to downplay the Jan 6 attack, calling it a non-violent protest or blaming leftwing activists.
Four people died on the day of the riot, and one Capitol police officer died the day after defending Congress.
Dozens of police were injured during the multi-hour onslaught by Trump supporters, and four officers have since taken their own lives.
Ms Psaki was asked what the president’s message will be to the many Republicans who believe Mr Biden stole the election from Mr Trump, despite overwhelming contrary evidence.
“What he’s going to continue to do is speak to everyone in the country. Those who didn’t vote for him, those who may not believe he is the legitimate president, about what he wants to do to make their lives better,” she said.
The White House is struggling to get voting rights legislation through the US Senate that would counter new laws in Republican-led states that Democrats say would limit left-leaning voters.