The Source of the Conflict
In front of the Capitol building, the highest legislative body in the United States located in Washington, supporters of the outgoing US President Donald Trump gathered.
They protested against the results of the presidential election of November 2020, in which Joe Biden won.
Several demonstrators attacked the buildings of both houses of Congress. Protesters also entered both chambers. The entire complex was secured after two hours.
Donald Trump's Role
The invasion of Donald Trump's supporters into the Capitol was later investigated by a committee of the US House of Representatives.
According to its chairman, Bennie Thompson, it was an attempted coup. In his opening statement, Thompson literally said, "January 6th was the culmination of an attempt to overthrow the government, a shameful attempt... to overthrow the government."
Donald Trump's team filed more than sixty lawsuits after losing the presidential election. They were led against the election results, but all of them were dismissed for lack of evidence.
In addition, Donald Trump openly spoke on social media about fraud and manipulation.
Stop the Steal
The slogan of Donald Trump's supporters became "Stop The Steal". According to a Politico poll, Trump was able to convince an incredible 79 percent of Republican supporters of his ideas about manipulated and stolen elections.
In a tweet posted by Donald Trump on his Twitter in December 2020, he called on his supporters to demonstrate on the known date of the vote count, January 6th, 2021.
Trump called on his supporters to fight and said the protest would be "wild".
FAQ
What happened at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021?
Supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump gathered in front of the Capitol to protest the election results. Several demonstrators attacked the buildings of both houses of Congress and entered both chambers, and the complex was secured after two hours.
What does Stop The Steal mean?
It was the slogan of Donald Trump's supporters, who held that the election was manipulated and stolen. According to a Politico poll, Trump convinced 79 percent of Republican supporters of these ideas.
Did Trump's election lawsuits succeed?
No. His team filed more than sixty lawsuits against the election results, and all of them were dismissed for lack of evidence.
What did the House committee say about January 6?
The committee's chairman, Bennie Thompson, called it an attempted coup, saying January 6 was the culmination of an attempt to overthrow the government.
Calming the Situation
The entire situation was not calmed down until 5:40 pm local time on January 6th. The city of Washington issued a curfew starting from 6 pm to prevent the incident from being repeated.
The US National Guard was called to the scene. Joe Biden was confirmed as the new President of the United States in the morning of January 7th, 2021.
Did you know that an attack on the Capitol occurred as early as 1814? It was carried out by the British, who set fire to the Capitol during the War of 1812, when James Madison was President.
