President Donald Trump released a video statement on Wednesday that addressed the violence that broke out on Capitol Hill following a rally that he held earlier in the day.
The video was severely restricted by Twitter over Trump’s claim that the election was “stolen,” which has not been substantiated in court or by government officials. Former Attorney General William Barr, a favorite among the president’s base, previously stated that federal investigators had “not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”
In the video (below), Trump states:
I know your pain. I know your hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election, and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now, we have to have peace. We have to have law and order, we have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt. It’s a very tough period of time. There’s never been a time like this where such a thing happened, where they could take it away from all of us — from me, from you, from our country. This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people. 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.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah also released a statement on Twitter, writing: “Dear MAGA- I am one of you. Before I worked for @realDonaldTrump , I worked for @MarkMeadows & @Jim_Jordan & the @freedomcaucus. I marched in the 2010 Tea Party rallies. I campaigned w/ Trump & voted for him. But I need you to hear me: the Election was NOT stolen. We lost.”
“There were cases of fraud that should be investigated. But the legitimate margins of victory for Biden are far too wide to change the outcome. You need to know that. I’m proud of many policy accomplishments the Trump Admin had. But we must accept these results,” Farah continued. “It’s time to regroup, organize, & campaign for political leaders we believe in, and let our democracy work. It is NOT and NEVER will be a time for violence. If you believe in America first, you believe in our Constitution, the rule of law, & our first principles.”
Dear MAGA- I am one of you. Before I worked for @realDonaldTrump, I worked for @MarkMeadows & @Jim_Jordan & the @freedomcaucus. I marched in the 2010 Tea Party rallies. I campaigned w/ Trump & voted for him. But I need you to hear me: the Election was NOT stolen. We lost.
— Alyssa Farah (@Alyssafarah) January 6, 2021
It’s time to regroup, organize, & campaign for political leaders we believe in, and let our democracy work. It is NOT and NEVER will be a time for violence.
If you believe in America first, you believe in our Constitution, the rule of law, & our first principles.
— Alyssa Farah (@Alyssafarah) January 6, 2021