Washington: President Joe Biden will mark the anniversary Thursday of the January 6 storming of Congress by Donald Trump’s supporters with a plea to save the United States from becoming a country where political violence is the “norm.”
Speaking from Statuary Hall in the Capitol — the scene of violent assaults by a Trump mob trying to stop certification of Biden’s 2020 election win a year ago — the president will warn of a dark future unless Americans defend democratic elections.
“Are we going to be a nation that accepts political violence as a norm?” Biden will ask, according to excerpts given to reporters.
“Are we going to be a nation where we allow partisan election officials to overturn the legally expressed will of the people?” the veteran Democrat will continue.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be that kind of nation,” he will say, urging Americans to “recognize the truth” and not live “in the shadow of lies.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden will call out Trump’s “lies” in propagating the conspiracy theory that he was the real winner of the election and will recall his “horror” at the events on that “dark day.”
The event, where Vice President Kamala Harris will also speak, is scheduled for 9:00 am (1400 GMT), followed in the afternoon by a prayer vigil.
Such are the depths of division 12 months later that many senior Republicans won’t even show up.
Biden, 79, took office promising to bring old school decency and calm back to Washington. That has had little effect, however, and on Thursday, he will respond with his own offensive.
Until now, Biden has mostly opted to ignore Trump, even as the Republican continues his unprecedented campaign to discredit the 2020 election and claim, fraudulently, that he won.
Apparently, no more. “I would expect President Biden to lay out the significance of what happened at the Capitol and the singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage,” Psaki said.
“He will forcibly push back on the lies spread by the former president in an attempt to mislead the American people and his own supporters.”
Asked if Biden would use Trump’s name, Psaki said: “I think people will know whom he’s referring to.”
