On the one-year anniversary of the US Capitol invasion, President Joe Biden walked to the US Congress building and delivered a speech in which he blamed former President Donald Trump directly for the violence of the attack.
“For the first time in our history, a president not only lost an election, he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power when a violent mob violated the Capitol,” Biden declared during his speech, which lasted just over thirty minutes.
“But they failed. They failed. And on this day of remembrance, we must make sure that such an attack never, never happens again,” he added.
Trump even called a press conference for this Thursday (6), but canceled the plans.
Although he repeatedly condemned his actions, Biden did not mention Donald Trump’s name once during his speech, calling him “former president” — 16 times in total.
Later, in conversation with reporters, he explained that this option was taken to “not turn this into a contemporary political battle”, saying the invasion “goes far beyond”.
“Here’s the truth: a former president of the United States of America created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 elections. He did it because he values power over principle. Because he sees his own interest as more important than the interest of his country and the interest of America,” Biden said in his speech.
“And because his bruised ego is more important to him than our democracy or our Constitution. He cannot accept that he lost”, he added.
three big lies
Biden described the “three big lies” that Trump and his supporters tried to break through before and after January 6, 2021.
The “first big lie” described by the president is that the protesters “tried to rewrite history” by saying that the insurrection actually took place on election day.
Biden said this is a “distorted” way of looking at the US.
“The 2020 election was the greatest demonstration of democracy in this country’s history. More of you voted in that election than in all of American history. More than 150 million Americans went to the polls and voted that day – in a pandemic, some at great risk to their lives. They should be applauded, not attacked,” he said.
“The former president and his supporters have decided that the only way to win is to suppress their vote and subvert our elections. It’s wrong. It’s undemocratic. And, frankly, it’s not American,” he added.
The “second big lie” described by the president is that the election results would not be reliable.
Biden criticized the Republican Party’s repeated vote audits, which “repeatedly showed that there was no electoral fraud.”
“Let’s talk openly about what happened in 2020. Even before the first vote was taken, the former president was already sowing doubts about the results of the elections. He built his lie over months, not based on facts. He was just looking for an excuse, an excuse to cover up the truth,” the Democrat said.
The “third big lie” that Biden blames Trump and his supporters is the idea that the Capitol invaders were patriots.
“Is that what you thought? When you looked at the mob sacking the Capitol, destroying property, literally defecating in the hallways. […] hunting congressmen, patriots? Not in my opinion. For me, the true patriots were still the more than 150 million Americans who peacefully expressed their vote at the polls,” he declared.
Invaders “pointed a dagger to America’s throat”
During his speech, Joe Biden also said that Americans need to face the truth about January 6, 2021 in order to move forward.
He referred to a comment by a Republican congressman, Andrew Clyde, who called the invading protesters “a normal tourist visit.”
“It wasn’t a group of tourists. It was an armed insurrection. They weren’t looking to defend the will of the people. They were trying to deny the will of the people,” Biden said.
He said all Americans saw the events of that day – a mob breaking windows, attacking officers and violating the Capitol.
“It’s not about getting stuck in the past. It is about ensuring that the past is not buried. This is the only way forward. That’s what great nations do. They don’t bury the truth. They face it,” said the president
Biden described the men and women who invaded the Capitol a year ago as dangerous threats to American democracy.
“Those who invaded this Capitol, and those who instigated, incited, and summoned people, have pointed a dagger to the throat of America, of American democracy,” he said.
The president added that these people “did not come here out of patriotism or principle.”
“They came here in anger. Not in the service of America, but in the service of one man,” Biden said, alluding to former President Donald Trump.
“Those who incited the mob, the real conspirators who were desperate to deny the certification of this election, defy the will of the voters,” he declared.
Trump: “This political theater is a distraction.”
Shortly after Biden’s speech ended, former President Donald Trump issued an emailed press release.
“Biden used my name today to try to further divide America,” the statement said.
Trump said the Democratic president is “destroying our nation” in his tenure, and that “this political theater is a distraction from the fact that Biden has completely failed.”
“Democrats want to take this Jan 6th for themselves so they can feed fears and divide America. I say let them [tomarem] because America sees through its lies and polarizations”, he concludes.
* With information from CNN International
Reference: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
