US President Donald Trump’s inciting words at the ‘Save America Rally’ that was hosted by him and his team, made his supporters to turn rogue, storm the US Capitol and put the lives of many in danger.
This incident happened while the certification of 2020 presidential election was underway. Trump and his supporters’ actions are seen as one of the worst and chaotic acts in the modern US History.
Unable to accept his defeat at the Presidential Election, Trump claimed for long that the election was rigged, and cried foul-play via Twitter, Facebook and whatever stage he could find.
The Speech
He spoke at the Ellipse Park near the White House on Wednesday. His speech lasted for an hour and in it he had directed his supporters to show their strength at the Capitol.
While speaking at the rally, he said “ we are going to walk down there, and I’ll be there with you, we’re going to walk down…to the Capitol and we are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women…And we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.”
The Reaction
This speech fueled the emotions of his supporters and they acted violently. They started to quarrel with the police at the Capitol and climb the walls of the building. Very soon, many of them forcefully started to enter the building. During this time the security personnel shifted the politicians inside to a safer location but the rioters had already started to ransack the building.
The activities of the mob inside the building was reported in the media. They had entered the offices of senators and looted, entered the Senate Chamber and climbed on the dais, clicked photographs as they walked inside the halls, broke the windows to enter various offices etc.
For almost 4 hours the mob’s intrusion continued but their attempts to stall the certification of the election’s result failed.
Trump faces Backlash
Facing the ire of Republicans, Democrats and the US Citizens, Trump requested his supporters via social media to go home. “It’s time to go home now”. “I know your pain. I know you’re 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,” he said in a video that got removed later
“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’ve seen 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.”
The loss
During this violence, 5 members died. One was a Capitol Police and the other are Trump’s supporters that also includes a 35 year old female named Ashli Babbitt – a War Veteran.
The damage is great and it is not the US Capitol building that is damaged, it is the spirit of USA. America is one of the world’s largest democratic countries, and its most of its previous leaders helped to shape its future in a democratic society. Trump has done much to make US appear divided. Joe Biden’s administration has to undertake lots of efforts to unite the divided people, and truly make America Great again!
IMAGE CREDITS : REUTERS & GETTY IMAGES