Trump says Jan. 6 was a “day of love,” glossing over supporters’ violence

Washington — Former President Donald Trump insisted that the Jan. 6 attack, when his supporters stormed the Capitol and assaulted scores of law enforcement officers, was not a day of violence, but a “day of love” when “nothing” was “done wrong.” 

The Republican presidential nominee was asked about the assault on the Capitol at a Univision town hall on Wednesday, where a voter who said he used to be a registered Republican but was troubled by Trump’s behavior during the riot said the former president could still win his vote.

“I want to give you the opportunity to try to win back my vote. OK?” said the voter. “Your — I’m going to say — action and maybe inaction during your presidency, and the last few years, sort of, was a little disturbing to me. What happened Jan. 6 and the fact that, you know, you waited so long to take action while your supporters were attacking the Capitol. … I’m curious how people so close to you and your administration no longer want to support you, so why would I want to support you? If you would answer these questions for me I would really appreciate it, and give you the opportunity. You know, your own vice president doesn’t want to support you now.” 

Trump responded by blasting former Vice President Mike Pence, saying he “totally disagreed with him on what he did,” an apparent reference to Pence’s refusal to reject the Electoral College votes after the 2020 presidential election. Pence has repeatedly — and accurately — said he had no constitutional authority to do anything but accept the results, withstanding repeated attacks from Trump and Trump’s supporters.

Trump said of his supporters who came to Washington on Jan. 6, “They didn’t come because of me — they came because of the election. They thought the election was a rigged election, and that’s why they came.”

But just over two weeks before Jan. 6, on Dec. 19, 2020, Trump had tweeted, “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”

Trump went on to say some of his supporters “went down to the Capitol, I said peacefully and patriotically. Nothing done wrong, at all, nothing done wrong. And action was taken, strong action. Ashli Babbitt was killed, nobody was killed.

“There were no guns down there, we didn’t have guns,” Trump continued. “The others had guns, but we didn’t have guns. And when I say we, these are people that walked down. This was a tiny percentage of the overall, which nobody sees and nobody shows. But that was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions, it’s like hundreds of thousands, it could have been the largest group I’ve ever spoken before. They asked me to speak, I went, and I spoke. And I used the term peacefully and patriotically.”

Trump’s portrayal of Jan. 6, which he often repeats, bears little resemblance to the violent scene that played out at the Capitol that day.

More than 1,000 people have been convicted in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and about 350 trials are still pending. Hundreds of defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employees, including over 100 people charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer, according to the Justice Department’s figures from January 2024.

About 140 police officers were assaulted on Jan. 6 — roughly 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department. Four people died at the Capitol that day, and one officer who was on duty during the riot died days later. Four police officers who were stationed at the Capitol on Jan. 6 died by suicide in the months that followed. 

Trump’s statement that there were no guns at all is false. Court documents, photos and video show several rioters had firearms, in addition to other weapons like knives and bats. Others used flagpoles as weapons and pepper and bear spray. 

The former president didn’t address the voter’s question about what he was doing on Jan. 6 while the rioters began their march on the Capitol and breached the building.

A wall of Trump’s supporters arrived at the Capitol at 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 6, having marched across the National Mall after Trump addressed a crowd near the White House that morning. D.C. police declared a riot at the Capitol at 1:49 p.m., and the U.S. Capitol Police chief called the D.C. National Guard commanding general to request immediate assistance. As rioters were assaulting the Capitol, endangering members of Congress and Pence, Trump tweeted that “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.” 

Shortly after 2:30 p.m., Trump tweeted, “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!” But at that time, he did not urge his supporters to stand down. It wasn’t until 4:17 p.m. that Trump on social media urged rioters to go home, while also falsely claiming the election had been “stolen.” He offered no proof to back up his accusation.