Trump tears into Biden's speech as 'political theater and a distraction he has totally failed' in three furious statements: Claims Democrats only want to 'stoke fears and divide America'

  •  Trump said that Biden 'used my name today to try to further divide America'  
  •  'Biden is working hard to try and deflect the incompetent job he is doing'  
  • Trump went after the committee investigating Jan. 6, calling the group 'totally partisan political hacks, whose judgment has long ago been made'
  • Biden blasted Trump for spreading a 'web of lies' and sitting idly by as his supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6 
  • Biden said Trump had a 'bruised ego' that wouldn't allow him to admit that he lost  

Donald Trump slammed his successor after President Biden tore into him, repeatedly referring to him as the 'defeated former president.' 

'Biden, who is destroying our Nation with insane policies of open Borders, corrupt Elections, disastrous energy policies, unconstitutional mandates, and devastating school closures, used my name today to try to further divide America,' Trump said in a series of statements. 

Trump then, without evidence, claimed that in Georgia voters sold ballots for $10 a piece. 

'Where did all those votes show up from in Georgia, where it was just revealed they sold ballots for $10 a piece, or in Pennsylvania, and Arizona, and Wisconsin,' Trump said, claiming the 2020 election was rigged. 

'He [Biden] acts like he's aggrieved, but we're the ones who were aggrieved,' Trump continued. 

Biden moments earlier had eviscerated Trump for watching TV while a mob stormed the Capitol on January 6, mocked his 'bruised ego.' He referred to the 'former president' 16 times but did not invoke Trump's name once.  

'Biden is working hard to try and deflect the incompetent job he is doing, and has done, on the horrible Afghanistan withdrawal (surrender), the Borders, COVID, Inflation, loss of Energy Independence, and much more. Everything he touches turns to failure. That’s what you get when you have a rigged Election,' Trump said. 

The former president then went after the House select committee investigating Jan. 6, which has hit a number of his allies with subpoenas and requested records of his conversations and actions leading up to that day. 

'Why is it that the Unselect Committee of totally partisan political hacks, whose judgment has long ago been made, not discussing the rigged Presidential Election of 2020? It’s because they don’t have the answers or justifications for what happened,' Trump said. 

'They want all conversation concerning the Election “Canceled.” Just look at the numbers, they speak for themselves. They are not justifiable, so the complicit media just calls it the Big Lie, when in actuality the Big Lie was the Election itself.'

Trump was originally scheduled to hold a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 6, but abruptly canceled this week.  

'It looks like he saw the speech, I guess that's good news. Maybe he learned something,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters about the former president's series of statements.  

Biden, with Vice President Kamala Harris by his side, addressed the Capitol attack from Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol - one of the rooms hoards of Trump supporters traipsed through as they tried to break into the House chamber as lawmakers worked to certify Biden's election. 

'We saw with our own eyes rioters menace these halls, threatening the life of the Speaker of the House. Literally erecting gallows to hang the vice president of the United States of America,' Biden recalled. 'What did we not see? We didn't see a former president, who just rallied the mob to attack, sitting in a private dining room off the Oval Office in the White House watching it all on television and doing nothing for hours.'    

Biden went after the MAGA mob saying: 'This wasn't a group of tourists. This was an armed insurrection.'   

'Here is the truth,' Biden continued. 'The former president of the United States of America created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election.' 

Trump accused Democrats of 'stoking fears' related to the attack

Trump accused Democrats of 'stoking fears' related to the attack

President Joe Biden blasted former President Donald Trump for spreading a 'web of lies' and sitting idly by as his supporters attacked the Capitol Building one year ago on Thursday

President Joe Biden blasted former President Donald Trump for spreading a 'web of lies' and sitting idly by as his supporters attacked the Capitol Building one year ago on Thursday

Vice President Kamala Harris (left) spoke before President Joe Biden (right) at an event Thursday morning marking the one-year anniversary of the January 6 Capitol attack

Vice President Kamala Harris (left) spoke before President Joe Biden (right) at an event Thursday morning marking the one-year anniversary of the January 6 Capitol attack 

President Joe Biden (center) walks through the Capitol Building with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (left) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right)

President Joe Biden (center) walks through the Capitol Building with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (left) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right) 

Trump did so 'because he values power over principle. Because he sees his own interest as more important than his country's interest, than America's interest,' Biden said. 

'And because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution,' Biden stated. 'He can't accept he lost.' 

Trump accused Democrats of 'stoking fears' related to the attack. 

'The Democrats want to own this day of January 6th so they can stoke fears and divide America. I say, let them have it because America sees through theirs [sic] lies and polarizations.' 

In a follow-up statement, Trump said that Biden's speech was 'very hurtful.' 

'To watch Biden speaking is very hurtful to many people. They're the ones who tried to stop the peaceful transfer with a rigged election. Just look at the numbers. Does anybody really think that Biden beat Obama with the Black population in select Swing State cities, but nowhere else?' 

'This political theater is all just a distraction for the fact Biden has completely and totally failed: Trump's three furious statements responding to President's speech

Trump released two statements attacking Biden's speech as 'political theater' and calling him a 'failure' shortly after

Trump released two statements attacking Biden's speech as 'political theater' and calling him a 'failure' shortly after

FIRST STATEMENT - 10:00AM: Biden, who is destroying our Nation with insane policies of open Borders, corrupt Elections, disastrous energy policies, unconstitutional mandates, and devastating school closures, used my name today to try to further divide America. 

This political theater is all just a distraction for the fact Biden has completely and totally failed. Our Country no longer has Borders, has totally and completely lost control of Covid (record numbers!), is no longer Energy Independent, Inflation is rampant, our Military is in chaos, and our exit, or surrender, from Afghanistan was perhaps the most embarrassing day in the long and distinguished history of the United States—and so much more. 

Why is it that the Unselect Committee of totally partisan political hacks, whose judgment has long ago been made, not discussing the rigged Presidential Election of 2020? It's because they don't have the answers or justifications for what happened. They got away with something, and it is leading to our Country's destruction. They want all conversation concerning the Election 'Canceled.' Just look at the numbers, they speak for themselves. They are not justifiable, so the complicit media just calls it the Big Lie, when in actuality the Big Lie was the Election itself.

The Democrats want to own this day of January 6th so they can stoke fears and divide America. I say, let them have it because America sees through theirs lies and polarizations.

SECOND STATEMENT- 10.12AM: Biden is working hard to try and deflect the incompetent job he is doing, and has done, on the horrible Afghanistan withdrawal (surrender), the Borders, COVID, Inflation, loss of Energy Independence, and much more. Everything he touches turns to failure. That's what you get when you have a rigged Election. 

THIRD STATEMENT -  12.39PM: To watch Biden speaking is very hurtful to many people. They're the ones who tried to stop the peaceful transfer with a rigged election. Just look at the numbers. Does anybody really think that Biden beat Obama with the Black population in select Swing State cities, but nowhere else? 

That he would lose 18 out of 19 bellwether counties, and 27 out of 27 'toss up' House races, but somehow miraculously receive the most votes in American history with no coattails? That he would lose Florida, Ohio, and Iowa and win, even though it has never been done before? 

They spread a 'web of lies' about me and Russia for 4 years to try to overturn the 2016 election, and now they lie about how they interfered in the 2020 Election, too. Big Tech was used illegally. Where did all those votes show up from in Georgia, where it was just revealed they sold ballots for $10 a piece, or in Pennsylvania, and Arizona, and Wisconsin. He acts like he's aggrieved, but we're the ones who were aggrieved and America is suffering because of it with poisonous Borders, record Inflation, a humiliating surrender in Afghanistan, $5 a gallon gas and higher, empty stock shelves, and rampant crime. 

America is a laughingstock stock of the world, and it's all because of the real insurrection, which took place on November 3rd, but this is an election year and MAGA Republicans should get elected and work with me to fix this horror that Joe Biden and the Democrats have brought us.

Never forget the crime of the 2020 Presidential Election. Never give up!

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EXCLUSIVE: Sheriff department take down barriers around Mar-a-Lago after former President Trump cancels January 6th event

EXCLUSIVE: Sheriff department take down barriers around Mar-a-Lago after former President Trump cancels January 6th event

Trump was originally slated to speak at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 6, but abruptly canceled earlier in the week

Trump was originally slated to speak at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 6, but abruptly canceled earlier in the week 

Biden spoke at length about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election - as Trump has continued to spout the so-called 'big lie,' that he lost out on a second term due to widespread election fraud.  

'The big lie being told by the former president and many Republicans who fear his wrath is that the insurrection in this country actually took place on election day November 3, 2020,' Biden noted. 

The president said that Trump and his supporters are trying to 're-write history.' 

'That the riot that took place on January 6 is a true expression of the will of the people. Can you think of a more twisted way to look at this country, to look at America?' Biden asked. 'I cannot.'   

'Over 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,' the president added. 

He briefly mentioned Democrats' voting rights push, pointing out how 'new laws are being written not to protect the vote, but to deny it.' 

Biden will travel to Georgia on Tuesday to give a broader voting rights address. 

'The former president and his supporters, the only way for them to win is to suppress your vote and subvert our elections,' Biden said. 'It's wrong. It's undemocratic, and frankly, it is un-American.' 

The 'second big lie,' Biden continued, was Trump telling his supporters the results of the 2020 election can't be trusted. 

'The truth is that no election, no election in American history, has been more closely scrutinized or more carefully counted,' the president pointed out.   

'He was just looking for an excuse, a pretext to cover for the truth,' Biden said. 'He is not just a former president, he is a defeated former president.' 

'Defeated by a margin of over 7 million of your votes. In a full and free and fair election,' Biden continued. 'There is simply zero proof the election results were inaccurate.'   

A 'third big lie,' Biden said, came when Trump and his supporters called the MAGA mob who stormed the Capitol 'the nation's true patriots.' 

'Is that what you thought when you looked at the mob ransacking the capitol, destroying property, literally defecating in the hallways?' the president said. 'Going through the desks of senators and representative. Hunting down members of Congress.' 

'Patriots?' Biden asked. 'Not in my view.' 

Biden said the true patriots were the country's voters, the elecion workers and law enforcement who defended the Capitol on January 6. 

'You can't love your country only when you win,' he said. 'You can't obey the law only when it is convenient. You can't be patriotic when you embrace and enable lies.' 

Biden never used Trump's name during the Thursday morning address, instead referring to him as 'the former president.' 

'I didn't want to make it a contemporary political battle,' Biden told reporters as he departed the Capitol.  

In a statement after Biden's speech, Trump again called the election 'rigged' and repeated 'the Big Lie was the Election itself.' 

'This political theater is all just a distraction for the fact Biden has completely and totally failed,' Trump added, pointing to inflation, Afghanistan, the migrant crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border and the continued coronavirus pandemic, including school closures. 

U.S. Capitol Police keep watch on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan, 6

U.S. Capitol Police keep watch on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan, 6

Artist Stephen Parlato, who is demonstrating against the January 6th attackers, holds a banner in front of the U.S. Capitol on the first anniversary

Artist Stephen Parlato, who is demonstrating against the January 6th attackers, holds a banner in front of the U.S. Capitol on the first anniversary

Members of U.S. Capitol Police arrive for duty

Members of U.S. Capitol Police arrive for duty

Kamala Harris compares January 6 to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 

Vice President Kamala Harris compared the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol one year ago to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and 9/11

'Certain dates echo throughout history, including dates that instantly remind all who have lived through them where they were and what they were doing, when our democracy came under assault,' Harris began. 'December 7, 1941, September 11, 2001 and January 6, 2021.'

Harris alluded to civil rights fights of the past century. 

'What the extremists who roamed these halls targeted was not only the lives of elected leaders ... what they were assaulting were the institutions, the values, the ideals that generations of Americans have marched, picketed and shed blood to establish and defend.'  

'We cannot let our future be decided by those bent on silencing our voices, overturning our votes, and peddling lies and misinformation by some radical faction that may be newly resurgent, but whose roots run old and deep.' 

Harris then called the U.S. the 'oldest and greatest democracy in the world.' 

'I wonder, how will January 6 be come to be remembered?' Harris said. 'Will it be remembered as a moment that accelerated the unraveling of the oldest and greatest democracy in the world? Or a moment when we decided to secure and strengthen our democracy for generations to come?'

Democracy was coined by the Greeks in 430 B.C., means 'for the people' and many communities such as Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the UK's Isle of Man, San Marino and Switzerland have had so-called democracies dating back to the ninth and tenth centuries. 

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The Capitol building was quiet Thursday morning as Democrats prepared to spend the day in remembrance. 

There was a heavy police presence and several metal interlocking barricades surrounding the building. 

Snow was on the ground from the storm earlier in the week. 

Upon arriving at the Capitol, the president told reporters, 'I'm praying that we never have another day like we had a year ago today. That's what I'm praying.' 

He was escorted into the building by Democratic leaders, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. 

Republicans have accused Democrats of playing politics with the anniversary.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell called January 6 a 'dark day' in a statement but then pivoted to attacking Democrats for trying to change Senate rules in order to pass voting rights legislation.

'It has been stunning to see some Washington Democrats try to exploit this anniversary to advance partisan policy goals that long predated this event,' McConnell said. 'It is especially jaw-dropping to hear some Senate Democrats invoke the mob's attempt to disrupt our country's norms, rules, and institutions as a justification to discard our norms, rules, and institutions themselves.' 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close friend to Trump, reacted to Biden's speech by saying, 'What brazen politicization of January 6 by President Biden.' 

'I wonder if the Taliban who now rule Afghanistan with al-Qaeda elements present, contrary to President Biden's beliefs, are allowing this speech to be carried?' Graham added. 

The Biden administration has been reluctant to directly discuss Trump particularly given that the former president continues the false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election.

Psaki also went after members of the Republican Party who have supported Trump's lie that he was the presidential victor. 

'What you'll hear the president talking about tomorrow is the fact that you don't just love your country when you win,' she told Dailymail.com. 'You love your country, you love democracy in any in any scenario, and what is most disappointing to him is that there has been a silence and, at times, a complacency by far too many Republicans who have sat by and defended the big lie and perpetuated misinformation to the American public.'

Rioters breached the Capitol on January 6 during a 'Stop the Steal' rally which claimed Donald Trump had won the election as Congress met to count electoral votes and certify Joe Biden's presidential election win

Rioters breached the Capitol on January 6 during a 'Stop the Steal' rally which claimed Donald Trump had won the election as Congress met to count electoral votes and certify Joe Biden's presidential election win 

Thousands of Trump supporters are seen on January 6, 2021, marching towards the Capitol

Thousands of Trump supporters are seen on January 6, 2021, marching towards the Capitol

Donald Trump, above, speaks to his supporters outside the White House on the morning of January 6th

Donald Trump, above, speaks to his supporters outside the White House on the morning of January 6th

Psaki did not mince words in her press briefing about the administration's view of Trump. The former president addressed his supporters outside the White House on January 6, 2021 before they marched on the Capitol and tried to stop the certification of Biden's victory. House Democrats impeached Trump for his role but he was acquitted by the Senate. 

Biden has been 'clear eyed about the threat the former president represents to our democracy and how the former president constantly works to constantly undermine basic American values and rule of law,' Psaki said.

She noted that Biden sees January 6th as a 'tragic culmination of what those four years under President Trump did to our country.'

Trump canceled a planned press conference for January 6th. 

Democrats, meanwhile, are ramping up their probe of the January 6th insurrection ahead of Thursday's one-year anniversary, considering 'Watergate-style' prime-time hearings with a bold-faced witness wish list that includes Mike Pence and Sean Hannity.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a day-long slate of events planned for the one-year anniversary of the MAGA riot on Thursday, including a moment of silence on the House floor, testimony from lawmakers about their experience that day, and a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol.  

'These events are intended as an observance of reflection, remembrance and recommitment, in a spirit of unity, patriotism and prayerfulness,' Pelosi wrote in a letter to lawmakers.  

Republicans, who have not revealed their plans for how they will mark the day, accused Democrats of grandstanding.

'I think they will try to politicize the event,' Republican Senator John Thune said.

In a bid capitalize on the anniversary, Democrats on committee are looking to crank up the pace of their probe and draw a massive audience with prime-time hearings. 

Democratic plans for marking one-year anniversary of January 6th riot in Capitol 

9 am: President Biden and Vice President Harris deliver remarks in National Statuary Hall in the Capitol

10 am: Speaker Nancy Pelosi hold a closed-press Moment of Reflection on the House floor

12 pm: A statement from Speaker Pelosi and a Moment of Silence on the House Floor 

1 pm: Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress; Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin; and Historian Jon Meacham moderate a conversation with Speaker Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer

2:30 pm: Democratic Rep. Jason Crow leads lawmakers in giving testimonials about what they experienced on January 6th

5:30 pm: Pelosi and Schumer lead a Bicameral Prayer Vigil on Capitol Center Steps

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'I have favored this strategy from the beginning,' Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the panel, told MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday. 

He said he wanted a Watergate-style approach, when the 1973 hearings into Richard Nixon's presidency captivated America. At one point an estimated 85% of the country was tuned in to them.

'I remember as a kid getting to watch a bit of the Watergate hearings, which were a daily spectacle that the whole country tuned into,' Raskin said. 'If we can do that for, you know, a break-in in a couple of offices in the Watergate hotel, certainly, we can do it for a massive break-in into the Capitol of the United States, a storming, and a seizure essentially of our government offices, an interruption of the peaceful transfer of power.'

Those prime-time hearings could occur in late March or early April, Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, told Bloomberg News.

But no date has been set yet. 

'We're working toward that,' Thompson said. 

Those hearings would also feature high-profile witnesses, which would help them gain maximum exposure. Among those names beiing considered are former Vice President Mike Pence and Fox News host Sean Hannity.

Pence was under heavy pressure from then-President Donald Trump to declare the 2020 election results invalid, wipe out Joe Biden's victory and secure him a second term. The vice president has the symbolic role of presiding over the Electoral College certification of results. Pence was a target of the January 6th rioters, some of who threatened to hang him, and was evacuated from the Senate floor as the MAGA supporters stormed the Capitol.

Thompson told CNN that he and the panel would like to hear from Pence.

'I would hope that he would do the right thing and come forward and voluntarily talk to the committee,' he said.

'We have not formally asked. But if he offered, we'd gladly accept. Everything is under consideration,' he added. 

So far, in its investigation, the committee has interviewed more than 300 witnesses, announced more than 50 subpoenas, obtained more than 35,000 pages of records and received hundreds of telephone tips through their Jan. 6 tipline, according to a tally by The Washington Post

Names are starting to be lined up for hearings. 

The panel on Tuesday asked longtime Trump supporter Sean Hannity to appear as a 'fact witness' in their investigation, noting how the Fox star was 'expressing concerns and providing advice to the president and White House staff.' 

The committee released several texts Hannity sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

'I'm very worried about the next 48 hours,' Hannity wrote on the eve of January 6th.

On January 5, the eve of the Capitol attack, Hannity also texted to Meadows, 'Pence pressure. WH counsel will leave.' 

In the letter to Hannity, Thompson wrote the texts suggest 'that you had knowledge of concerns by President Trump's White House Counsel's Office regarding the legality of the former President's plans for January 6th.' 

'These facts are directly relevant to our inquiry,' Thompson told Hannity. 

Thompson also said that Hannity appeared to have 'detailed knowledge regarding President Trump's state of mind in the days following the January 6th attack.' 

One of Hannity's texts indicated he had a discussion with Trump on January 10 and it left the Fox News host concerned in the lead-up to President Joe Biden's January 20 inauguration. 

'Guys, we have a clear path to land the plane in 9 days,' Hannity informed Meadows and Republican Rep. Jim Jordan. 

'He can't mention the election again. Ever. I did not have a good call with him today. And worse, I'm not sure what is left to do or say, and I don't like not knowing if it's truly understood. Ideas?' 

On his Fox News show on Tuesday evening, Hannity launched into a stinging rebuke of DC officials and their 'willing accomplices' but didn't mention the letter from the House committee investigating the MAGA riot.

'I have an important message to all you elected swamp creatures in Washington, D.C., your willing accomplices, your press secretaries in the media mob,' he began. 

'It is frankly repulsive, just repulsive that all of you sycophants, you sit idly by, you say nothing, you do nothing, as Joe Biden completely mismanages COVID-19,' he said.

Republicans have not revealed their plans for how they will mark the one-year anniversary of the riot.

Many Republican lawmakers criticized Trump in the immediate wake of January 6th - some even called him that day to encourage him to try and call off the rioters. But, many of them also have made amends with the former president in the months following particularly as Trump continues to hold a tight grip on Republican base.  

Many Republican senators, including Leader Mitch McConnell, will be in Atlanta for the funeral of former Senator Johnny Isakson on Thursday. 

From left to right: Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the US Capitol Police, Officer Michael Fanone of the DC Metropolitan Police and Officer Daniel Hodges of the DC Metropolitan Police listen as Private First Class Harry Dunn of the US Capitol Police testifies before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on US Capitol on July 27

From left to right: Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the US Capitol Police, Officer Michael Fanone of the DC Metropolitan Police and Officer Daniel Hodges of the DC Metropolitan Police listen as Private First Class Harry Dunn of the US Capitol Police testifies before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on US Capitol on July 27

The House panel investigating January 6th has said they'd like to hear form Mike Pence

The House panel investigating January 6th has said they'd like to hear form Mike Pence

Earlier this week, members of the House panel indicated they had received testimony from inside Trump's West Wing from January 6th that focuses on Trump's failure to do more to stop the rioters. 

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the vice chair of the panel, revealed there was 'firsthand' testimony that Ivanka Trump twice asked her father to call off the rioters. 

'We know members of his family, we know his daughter - we have firsthand testimony that his daughter Ivanka went in at least twice to ask him to please stop this violence,' Cheney said Sunday on ABC's This Week.

Ivanka reportedly referred to the insurrection as an 'optics issue' as it was taking place, according to Michael Wolff's latest Trump book Landslide.  

She tried to stop the riot herself, tweeting: 'American Patriots - any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful.' The tweet has since been deleted. 

Meanwhile, the House committee has been rebuffed by several former Trump aides or advisers whose testimony was sought by subpoena.

That includes former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and Meadows. Bannon has been indicted for criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to testify to the panel and awaits trial in July. The House in December voted to hold Meadows in contempt, referring the case to the Justice Department. 

'This is not a land of kings or dictators or autocrats': Biden's speech in full where he mentioned the 'former president' 16 times - but didn't name Trump  

A lone protester demonstrating against the January 6 attacker stands outside the Capitol during Biden's speech

A lone protester demonstrating against the January 6 attacker stands outside the Capitol during Biden's speech

Madam Vice President, my fellow Americans: To state the obvious, one year ago today, in this sacred place, democracy was attacked -- simply attacked. The will of the people was under assault. The Constitution -- our Constitution -- faced the gravest of threats.

Outnumbered and in the face of a brutal attack, the Capitol Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the National Guard, and other brave law enforcement officials saved the rule of law.

Our democracy held. We the people endured. And we the people prevailed.

For the first time in our history, a president had not just lost an election, he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol.

But they failed. They failed.

And on this day of remembrance, we must make sure that such an attack never, never happens again.

I'm speaking to you today from Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol. This is where the House of Representatives

met for 50 years in the decades leading up to the Civil War. This is -- on this floor is where a young congressman of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, sat at desk 191.

Above him -- above us, over that door leading into the Rotunda -- is a sculpture depicting Clio, the muse of history. In her hands, an open book in which she records the events taking place in this chamber below.

Clio stood watch over this hall one year ago today, as she has for more than 200 years. She recorded what took place. The real history. The real facts. The real truth. The facts

and the truth that Vice President Harris just shared and that you and I and the whole world saw with our own eyes.

The Bible tells us that we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free. We shall know the truth.

Well, here is the God's truth about January 6th, 2021:

Close your eyes. Go back to that day. What do you see? Rioters rampaging, waving for the first time inside this Capitol a Confederate flag that symbolized the cause to destroy America, to rip us apart.

Even during the Civil War, that never, ever happened. But it happened here in 2021.

What else do you see? A mob breaking windows, kicking in doors, breaching the Capitol. American flags on poles being used as weapons, as spears. Fire extinguishers being thrown at the heads of police officers.

A crowd that professes their love for law enforcement assaulted those police officers, dragged them, sprayed them, stomped on them.

Over 140 police officers were injured.

We've all heard the police officers who were there that day testify to what happened. One officer called it, quote, a med- -- 'medieval' battle, and that he was more afraid that day than he was fighting the war in Iraq.

They've repeatedly asked since that day: How dare anyone -- anyone -- diminish, belittle, or deny the hell they were put through?

We saw it with our own eyes. Rioters menaced these halls, threatening the life of the Speaker of the House, literally erecting gallows to hang the Vice President of the United States of America.

But what did we not see?

We didn't see a former president, who had just rallied the mob to attack -- sitting in the private dining room off the Oval Office in the White House, watching it all on television and doing nothing for hours as police were assaulted, lives at risk, and the nation's capital under siege.

This wasn't a group of tourists. This was an armed insurrection.

They weren't looking to uphold the will of the people. They were looking to deny the will of the people.

They were looking to uphold -- they weren't looking to uphold a free and fair election. They were looking to overturn one.

They weren't looking to save the cause of America. They were looking to subvert the Constitution.

This isn't about being bogged down in the past. This is about making sure the past isn't buried.

That's the only way forward. That's what great nations do. They don't bury the truth, they face up to it. Sounds like hyperbole, but that's the truth: They face up to it.

We are a great nation.

My fellow Americans, in life, there's truth and,

tragically, there are lies -- lies conceived and spread for profit and power.

We must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie.

And here is the truth: The former president of the

United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He's done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interests as more important than his country's interests and America's interests, and because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution.

He can't accept he lost, even though that's what 93 United States senators, his own Attorney General, his own Vice President, governors and state officials in every battleground state have all said: He lost.

That's what 81 million of you did as you voted for a new way forward.

He has done what no president in American history -- the history of this country -- has ever, ever done: He refused to accept the results of an election and the will of the American people.

While some courageous men and women in the Republican Party are standing against it, trying to uphold the principles of that party, too many others are transforming that party into something else. They seem no longer to want to be the party -- the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower, Reagan, the Bushes.

But whatever my other disagreements are with Republicans who support the rule of law and not the rule of a single man, I will always seek to work together with them to find shared solutions where possible. Because if we have a shared belief in democracy, then anything is possible -- anything.

And so, at this moment, we must decide: What kind of nation are we going to be?

Are we going to be a nation that accepts political violence as a norm?

Are we going to be a nation where we allow partisan election officials to overturn the legally expressed will of the people?

Are we going to be a nation that lives not by the light of the truth but in the shadow of lies?

We cannot allow ourselves to be that kind of nation. The way forward is to recognize the truth and to live by it.

The Big Lie being told by the former president and many Republicans who fear his wrath is that the insurrection in this country actually took place on Election Day -- November 3rd, 2020.

Think about that. Is that what you thought? Is that what you thought when you voted that day? Taking part in an insurrection? Is that what you thought you were doing? Or did you think you were carrying out your highest duty as a citizen and voting?

The former president and his supporters are trying to rewrite history. They want you to see Election Day as the day of insurrection and the riot that took place here on January 6th as the true expression of the will of the people.

Can you think of a more twisted way to look at this country -- to look at America? I cannot.

Here's the truth: The election of 2020 was the greatest demonstration of democracy in the history of this country.

More of you voted in that election than have ever voted in all of American history. Over 150 million Americans went to the polls and voted that day in a pandemic -- some at grea- -- great risk to their lives. They should be applauded, not attacked.

Right now, in state after state, new laws are being written -- not to protect the vote, but to deny it; not only to suppress the vote, but to subvert it; not to strengthen or protect our democracy, but because the former president lost.

Instead of looking at the election results from 2020 and saying they need new ideas or better ideas to win more votes, the former president and his supporters have decided the only way for them to win is to suppress your vote and subvert our elections.

It's wrong. It's undemocratic. And frankly, it's un-American.

The second Big Lie being told by the former President and his supporters is that the results of the election of 2020 can't be trusted.

The truth is that no election -- no election in American history has been more closely scrutinized or more carefully counted.

Every legal challenge questioning the results in every court in this country that could have been made was made and was rejected -- often rejected by Republican-appointed judges, including judges appointed by the former president himself, from state courts to the United States Supreme Court.

Recounts were undertaken in state after state. Georgia -- Georgia counted its results three times, with one recount by hand.

Phony partisan audits were undertaken long after the election in several states. None changed the results. And in some of them, the irony is the margin of victory actually grew slightly.

So, let's speak plainly about what happened in 2020. Even before the first ballot was cast, the former president

was preemptively sowing doubt about the election results. He built his lie over months. It wasn't based on any facts. He was just looking for an excuse -- a pretext -- to cover for the truth.

He's not just a former president. He's a defeated former president -- defeated by a margin of over 7 million of your votes in a full and free and fair election.

There is simply zero proof the election results were inaccurate. In fact, in every venue where evidence had to be produced and an oath to tell the truth had to be taken, the former president failed to make his case.

Just think about this: The former president and his supporters have never been able to explain how they accept as accurate the other election results that took place on November 3rd -- the elections for governor, United States Senate, the House of Representatives -- elections in which they closed the gap in the House.

They challenge none of that. The President's name was first, then we went down the line -- governors, senators, House of Representatives. Somehow, those results were accurate on the same ballot, but the presidential race was flawed?

And on the same ballot, the same day, cast by the same voters.

The only difference: The former President didn't lose those races; he just lost the one that was his own.

Finally, the third Big Lie being told by a former President and his supporters is that the mob who sought to impose their will through violence are the nation's true patriots.

Is that what you thought when you looked at the mob ransacking the Capitol, destroying property, literally defecating in the hallways, rifling through desks of senators and representatives, hunting down members of congress? Patriots? Not in my view.

To me, the true patriots were the more than 150 [million] Americans who peacefully expressed their vote at the ballot box, the election workers who protected the integrity of the vote, and the heroes who defended this Capitol.

You can't love your country only when you win.

You can't obey the law only when it's convenient.

You can't be patriotic when you embrace and enable lies.

Those who stormed this Capitol and those who instigated and incited and those who called on them to do so held a dagger at the throat of America -- at American democracy.

They didn't come here out of patriotism or principle. They came here in rage -- not in service of America, but rather in service of one man.

Those who incited the mob -- the real plotters -- who were desperate to deny the certification of the election and defy the will of the voters.

But their plot was foiled. Congressmen -- Democrats and Republicans -- stayed. Senators, representatives, staff -- they finished their work the Constitution demanded. They honored their oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Look, folks, now it's up to all of us -- to 'We the People' -- to stand for the rule of law, to preserve the flame of democracy, to keep the promise of America alive.

That promise is at risk, targeted by the forces that value brute strength over the sanctity of democracy, fear over hope, personal gain over public good.

Make no mistake about it: We're living at an inflection point in history.

Both at home and abroad, we're engaged anew in a struggle between democracy and autocracy, between the aspirations of the many and the greed of the few, between the people's right of self-determination and self- -- the self-seeking autocrat.

From China to Russia and beyond, they're betting that democracy's days are numbered. They've actually told me democracy is too slow, too bogged down by division to succeed in today's rapidly changing, complicated world.

And they're betting -- they're betting America will become more like them and less like us. They're betting that America is a place for the autocrat, the dictator, the strongman.

I do not believe that. That is not who we are. That is not who we have ever been. And that is not who we should ever, ever be.

Our Founding Fathers, as imperfect as they were, set in motion an experiment that changed the world -- literally changed the world.

Here in America, the people would rule, power would be transferred peacefully -- never at the tip of a spear or the barrel of a gun.

And they committed to paper an idea that couldn't live up to -- they couldn't live up to but an idea that couldn't be constrained: Yes, in America all people are created equal.

We reject the view that if you succeed, I fail; if you get ahead, I fall behind; if I hold you down, I somehow lift myself up.

The former President, who lies about this election, and the mob that attacked this Capitol could not be further away from the core American values.

They want to rule or they will ruin -- ruin what our country fought for at Lexington and Concord; at Gettysburg; at Omaha Beach; Seneca Falls; Selma, Alabama. What -- and what we were fighting for: the right to vote, the right to govern ourselves, the right to determine our own destiny.

And with rights come responsibilities: the responsibility to see each other as neighbors -- maybe we disagree with that neighbor, but they're not an adversary; the responsibility to accept defeat then get back in the arena and try again the next time to make your case; the responsibility to see that America is an idea -- an idea that requires vigilant stewardship.

As we stand here today -- one year since January 6th, 2021 -- the lies that drove the anger and madness we saw in this place, they have not abated.

So, we have to be firm, resolute, and unyielding in our defense of the right to vote and to have that vote counted.

Some have already made the ultimate sacrifice in this sacred effort.

Jill and I have mourned police officers in this Capitol Rotunda not once but twice in the wake of January 6th: once to honor Officer Brian Sicknick, who lost his life the day after the attack, and a second time to honor Officer Billy Evans, who lost his life defending this Capitol as well.

We think about the others who lost their lives and were injured and everyone living with the trauma of that day -- from those defending this Capitol to members of Congress in both parties and their staffs, to reporters, cafeteria workers, custodial workers, and their families.

Don't kid yourself: The pain and scars from that day run deep.

I said it many times and it's no more true or real than when we think about the events of January 6th: We are in a battle for the soul of America. A battle that, by the grace of God and the goodness and gracious -- and greatness of this nation, we will win.

Believe me, I know how difficult democracy is. And I'm crystal clear about the threats America faces. But I also know that our darkest days can lead to light and hope.

From the death and destruction, as the Vice President referenced, in Pearl Harbor came the triumph over the forces of fascism.

From the brutality of Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge came historic voting rights legislation.

So, now let us step up, write the next chapter in American history where January 6th marks not the end of democracy, but the beginning of a renaissance of liberty and fair play.

I did not seek this fight brought to this Capitol one year ago today, but I will not shrink from it either.

I will stand in this breach. I will defend this nation. And I will allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of our democracy.

We will make sure the will of the people is heard; that the ballot prevails, not violence; that authority in this nation will always be peacefully transferred.

I believe the power of the presidency and the purpose is to unite this nation, not divide it; to lift us up, not tear us apart; to be about us -- about us, not about 'me.'

Deep in the heart of America burns a flame lit almost 250 years ago -- of liberty, freedom, and equality.

This is not a land of kings or dictators or autocrats. We're a nation of laws; of order, not chaos; of peace, not violence.

Here in America, the people rule through the ballot, and their will prevails.

So, let us remember: Together, we're one nation, under God, indivisible; that today, tomorrow, and forever, at our best, we are the United States of America.

God bless you all. May God protect our troops. And may God bless those who stand watch over our democracy. 

 

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