By: Scott Cummings '24
Throughout the 2020 presidential election, incumbent Donald Trump challenged the legitimacy of the electoral process. In the weeks leading up to the election, Trump expressed doubts towards mail-in ballots. Following projections of Joe Biden winning the electoral college, Trump and his allies attempted to bring to court multiple cases of alleged widespread voter fraud that were dismissed by state courts and Attorney General William Barr. These reported stories of a “stolen election” were then shared on social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, where they were labeled as misinformation. In December, the electors cast their votes and Democrat nominee Joe Biden officially became President-Elect, with one formality remaining before inauguration.
On January 6th, Congress met to approve the electoral vote. In every election past, Congress did so without objection. This year, a few Republican representatives declared they sought to challenge the electoral college results prior to the Congressional vote. Notably, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's speech demanded his fellow party members be graceful in defeat and accept the results of the election.
Meanwhile, a planned Trump rally gathered in the heart of DC. A vast array of flags—“Trump 2020,” “Keep America Great Again,” American, Gadsden, and Confederate—waved above a crowd of people beneath the Capitol building. Protestors hoped to urge Republican senators to reject the election results. By the afternoon, the desperate crowd turned to violence, brawling with police and smashing windows to gain entrance. Gunfire and teargas ensued, leading to the deaths of at least four rioters and one Capitol Police officer.
The last time American citizens shed blood of this scale in the capital occurred in 1932. A thousands-strong “bonus army” of veterans and their families demanding promised cash payments during the Great Depression encamped on the Capitol lawn.
The last time American citizens shed blood of this scale in the capital occurred in 1932. A thousands-strong “bonus army” of veterans and their families demanding promised cash payments during the Great Depression encamped on the Capitol lawn. General Douglas MacArthur led military and police units to disperse the squatters with tear gas, bayonets, and guns. Two veterans were shot dead and the gas attack used led to the death of a baby while dozens more on both sides were injured.
In 2021, with only a thin police guard, the mob broke into the Capitol and ransacked representatives’ offices. United States Representatives and their aides on site, including staff who saved the ballot boxes containing the Electoral College votes, evacuated the Capitol shortly before rioters entered the building. However, in the exodus from the storming mob, government documents and computer systems remained unguarded, including Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s. While staff are still working to assess the damages, this event could be one of the biggest security breaches in the history of the United States.
An armed mob breached the most sacred building in the United States in a vain effort to disrupt democratic decision-making. During the Civil War, the closest the Confederate flag ever flew to the Capitol was Fort Stevens, approximately five and a half miles north of the Mall. One hundred and fifty six years later, the Confederate flag flew inside of the Capitol building. On a more modern note, the efforts made by this day suggest the delusions of far-right 4chan-based QAnon conspiracy theorists who expected a Trump-led coup to oust the Democratic Party and the “deep state” out of the federal government.
During the Civil War, the closest the Confederate flag ever flew to the Capitol was Fort Stevens, approximately five and a half miles north of the Mall. One hundred and fifty six years later, the Confederate flag flew inside of the Capitol building.
During the siege of the Capitol building, Trump released a video online telling the rioters to be peaceful, yet in the same breath praising them for their efforts in combating the “stolen election”. Many Congresspeople, ranging from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Senator Mitt Romney, place blame upon Trump for inciting the violence. Social media giants Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where Trump has accumulated a large following, banned his account from posting and released statements condemning his words.
Following the occupation of the Capitol building, officials activated the National Guard. Within a few hours, hundreds of rioters dispersed. Law enforcement made at least a dozen arrests and found at least one bomb within the Capitol building. The FBI found and disarmed two bombs outside the Democrat and Republican National Conventions respectively. The law enforcement agency requests information leading to the arrests of those individuals responsible for the terrorist attack.
District of Columbia law enforcement officials are under criticism for being unprepared for the events of January 6th. Many note a delay in sending in the national guard and a disparity in the number of officers in the capital between January 6th and Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.
At 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the two houses reconvened for their vote that was disrupted that morning. Vice President Mike Pence officially announced that Joe Biden won the election. When Congress resumed that very night to uphold their duty, they “gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.” Despite the efforts of the mob, the Republic remains.
Democracy prevails.