DONALD Trump has canceled a press conference he had planned to hold in Florida on the anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening that he would instead be discussing his grievances at a rally he has planned in Arizona later this month.
“In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona,” Trump wrote.
The event would have been Trump’s second press conference since leaving office.
While Trump’s press conference has been canceled, President Joe Biden is scheduled to address the nation from the Capitol on Thursday at 9am. He and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to make remarks at the National Statuary Hall.
The White House said Biden would push back against false claims that his election triumph 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.
Read our January 6 live blog for the latest news and updates…
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January 6 timeline, part four
Rioters inside the Capitol continued around 2.40pm on January 6, regardless of Trump urging them to “stay peaceful.”
At 3pm, rioters officially broke into the Senate chamber, many posting selfies and videos from the inside, and others broke into offices in the Capitol building, destroying property.
“Mr President [Trump], you have got to stop this. You are the only person who can call this off. Call it off,” said Wisconsin Rep Mike Gallagher on Twitter. “The election is over. Call it off.”
Rioter Ashli Babbitt was then shot by a Capitol police officer as she attempted to climb through the Speaker’s Lobby doors. Babbitt later died from her injuries.
The National Guard was ordered to the Capitol by Trump around 3:36pm.
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January 6 timeline, part three
During the joint session of Congress, Republican Rep Paul Gosar of Arizona stood to object the electoral votes from his state, as did Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.
Both parties of Congress then split into separate rooms of the Capitol to discuss the objection.
Protesters outside of the Capitol then broke through the final police barricade around 1.30pm on January 6.
Packages found outside of the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in DC are later identified as pipe bombs.
At 2pm, protesters officially broke into the Capitol building, smashing windows and opening doors for others to enter.
At that point, Secret Service began to remove politicians from the Senate and House floors.
The Senate and House were called into recess around 2.20pm, and the building went into lockdown.
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January 6 timeline, part two
Former President Trump spoke to the crowd at 12pm, and former Vice President Mike Pence shared a letter on his social media accounts.
“My oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” said Pence.
At 1pm on January 6, protesters started to storm the police barrier surrounding the Capitol building.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, then called a joint session of Congress into order.
Meanwhile, Trump finished up his speech, adding: “We’re going to the Capitol. We’re going to try and give them [Republicans] the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
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January 6 timeline
At 12pm on January 6, 2021, former President Donald Trump spoke to his supporters at a rally in the vicinity of the White House in Washington, DC.
“We will never give up. We will never concede,” said Trump at the time.
“Mike Pence, I hope you’re going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country,” he continued.
“And if you’re not, I’m going to be very disappointed in you.”
After the speech ended, crowds began to gather at the steps of the United States Capitol building on January 6.
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Riot led to Trump’s impeachment
A week after the January 6, 2021 riot, the House of Representatives impeached former President Trump for incitement of insurrection.
It made him the only US president to have been impeached twice.
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Events at the Capitol
At noon on January 6, there will be a prayer and a moment of silence on the House floor at the Capitol, CNN reported.
That will be followed by a “Historic Perspective” discussion between historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham “to establish and preserve the narrative of January 6th,” the outlet noted.
In a session presided over by Colorado Rep Jason Crow, lawmakers will share their accounts of the attack after that discussion.
That session will be followed by a prayer vigil with members of both the House and Senate on the steps of the Capitol.
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Pelosi plans to commemorate
On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced several events around the US Capitol to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the January 6 riots.
“These events are intended as an observance of reflection, remembrance and recommitment, in a spirit of unity, patriotism and prayerfulness,” Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic colleagues, according to CNN.
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‘Remember this day forever’
Hours after former President Trump’s video on January 6, 2021, in which he urged rioters to “go home,” he followed up his words with another statement.
“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long,” he tweeted, according to The Hill.
“Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”
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What did McConnell say about Trump?
When asked about Trump’s previously scheduled press conference, Senator Mitch McConnell said Tuesday: “It’ll be interesting to see what he has to say,” according to Politico.
The former president has since canceled the press conference and will instead speak at a rally in Arizona on January 15.
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What did Trump say during the riot?
As the riot at the Capitol raged on January 6, 2021, former President Trump urged his supporters to leave.
“You have to go home now. We have to have peace,” Trump said at the time, according to The Hill.
“We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt.”
“This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people,” he continued.
“We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil.”
“I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace.”
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Sen Graham spoke to Trump
Senator Lindsey Graham confirmed to Axios during a phone interview Tuesday night that he discussed the subject of Donald Trump’s press conference with the former president during a golf match in West Palm Beach.
Sen Graham said Trump broached the subject and the senator told him “there could be peril in doing a news conference. … Best to focus on election reform instead.”
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Hundreds of rioters charged
More than 700 people have been charged by the Justice Department in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot, according to CNN.
Of the more than 50 defendants who have been sentenced for their role, fewer than half were sent to jail for their crimes, the outlet noted.
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What did Biden say during the riot?
“At this hour, our democracy’s under unprecedented assault, unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times. An assault on the citadel of liberty, the Capitol itself,” President Biden said at the time, according to CNN.
He was speaking from Wilmington, Delaware, and was not yet sworn in as president.
“This is not dissent, it’s disorder. It’s chaos,” he added.
“It borders on sedition, and it must end now. I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward.”
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How many people died in the Capitol riot?
Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the 2021 riot on the Capitol.
One was shot by Capitol Police and another died of a drug overdose.
Three others died of natural causes; the BBC reported that two died of heart failure.
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‘One of the darkest days in our democracy’
“January 6 was one of the darkest days in our democracy,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last month, according to CNN.
“It was a day when our nation’s capital was under attack, and I think there’s no question you’ll see us commemorate that day.”
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Biden and Harris to deliver remarks
Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks on Thursday.
The remarks will mark the anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, one year later.
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Law enforcement officers sue
Three more law enforcement officers sued former President Donald Trump on Tuesday over the events of January 6, CBS News reported.
The outlet noted that Trump often touted support for law enforcement during his presidency.
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Trump to discuss issues later
Instead of holding a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on January 6, former President Donald Trump said he’ll address the issues he would have discussed that day at a different rally later in the month.
He will instead hold a rally in Arizona on Saturday, January 15.
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When is the anniversary?
The anniversary of the attack on the Capitol in Washington, DC is on Thursday.
The event occurred on January 6, 2021.
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‘The country has moved on’
“It’s a free country and you’re entitled to say whatever you want to say subject to some limitations, but I think the country has moved on,” said Sen John Cornyn of Texas said when Politico asked about Trump’s originally scheduled press conference.
“I think that’s where we ought to focus our efforts, is on getting things done for the American people and not re-litigating issues that have already been decided.”
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Senator Shelley Moore Capito on press conference
When asked about former President Trump’s originally scheduled press conference earlier Tuesday, Sen Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” according to Politico.
“I guess it depends on what he’s going to say. But early assumptions are that it’s going to be an aggressive statement. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
