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President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the nation on Thursday, marking the anniversary of the deadly January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Speaking from Statuary Hall in the Capitol, where Trump supporters violently surged, President Biden said the US must assure that such a riot “never happens again.”
“Democracy was attacked — simply attacked,” Biden said.
"One year ago today, in this sacred place, democracy was attacked," President Biden says on one year after Jan. 6 attack. pic.twitter.com/Ehh5scgEX7
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 6, 2022
In an emotionally charged address, the president recalled the violent images from January 6 — and took aim at Trump.
“The former president of the United States has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election,” Biden said.
The president spent much of his speech addressing the false narratives about the January 6 attacks that have been perpetrated by Trump and members of the Republican Party.
“For the first time in our history, a president not just lost an election; he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol,” he said.
Biden also urged the nation to actively work to uphold and repair the damage done to the country’s democracy.
Biden: "We must decide what kind of nation are 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?" pic.twitter.com/LAQ5pGEJ3e
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 6, 2022
“At this moment, we must decide what kind of nation we will 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,” Biden urged.
He said the country finds itself “in a battle for the soul of America.”
Speaking ahead of Biden, Vice President Harris said the “American spirit is being tested,” but urged Americans to “unite in defense of our democracy in order to form a more perfect union.”
"We must now pass voting rights bills that are before the Senate," VP Harris says.
"We cannot sit on the sidelines, we must unite in defense of our democracy in order to form a more perfect union …" pic.twitter.com/MGEmbaA2WB
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 6, 2022
Congress also held a series of memorials and a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol.
On January 6, 2021, a mob stormed the Capitol building in an effort to halt the confirmation of Biden’s victory, fueled by Trump’s claims of election fraud. Five people died, and over 130 police officers were injured.
Prosecutors have charged at least 725 people over their involvement in the attacks.
