Trump Tweeted 'Remain Peaceful' on Jan. 6 After Violence Began | Snopes.com
By: Jordan Liles (Snopes)
Oh boy.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Claim: On Jan. 6, 2021, the day of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, then-President Donald Trump posted to followers to "remain peaceful" with "no violence" and also to "stay peaceful" and "support our Capitol Police and law enforcement." Rating: Mixture
About this rating
Context
Trump posted two tweets that mentioned being "peaceful." He also once mentioned during his Jan. 6 speech on the Ellipse for his supporters to "peacefully" protest. However, the truth was that the tweets were posted after the violence of the day had already begun. Meanwhile, the spoken mention of "peacefully" protesting occurred during a misinformation-filled speech, in which he also told the crowd, "We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore." Further, all of this followed many months of Trump baselessly and repeatedly predicting the 2020 U.S. presidential election would involve massive voter fraud.
During the Sept. 10, 2024, debate between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, ABC News moderator David Muir asked Trump whether he had regrets for his role in the violent events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Following Trump's answer, Harris provided her own thoughts about the matter.
While the debate continued, a user on X named Chad Prather, host of "The Chad Prather Show," posted (archived) a screenshot of a Trump tweet (archived) from the day of the riot. Prather added to his post, in reference to Harris, "Since the moderators won't fact check her."
Since the moderators won't fact-check her…. pic.twitter.com/MXuqGtaeoh
— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) September 11, 2024
The promoted claim was that Trump tweeted to "remain peaceful" with "no violence," meaning that Trump could wash his hands of the matter in innocence. Users previously shared this genuine tweet alongside another one (archived) in a memeshared on X which Trump also said to "stay peaceful."
The meme appeared like this:
"Does anyone remember these tweets … probably not because they were removed," the meme incorrectly claimed.
In our research, we concluded that while Trump's @realDonaldTrump account truly did display these two tweets, Prather's post and other users' posts presenting Trump's words lacked crucial context. (We noted Trump himself repeatedlysharedpostsshowing he held strong views about his words being taken out of context.)
In sum, Trump did tweet to his supporters who were already rioting at the Capitol to "remain peaceful" with "no violence" and also to "stay peaceful" and to "support our Capitol Police and law enforcement." However, anyone asserting any level of innocence for Trump's role in the Capitol riot through the sharing of these two tweets — or the lone mention of the word "peacefully" during his speech — would do so by ignoring the vast majority of the rest of the data available for this matter, mainly being the fact Trump posted his tweets after the violence at the Capitol had already begun and many months after he repeatedly promoted baseless accusations of voter fraud.
Context Is Key
On Jan. 8, 2021, Twitter announced a permanent suspension (archived) for Trump's account following the events at the Capitol. Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk later restored access to Trump's account following his 2022 purchase of the platform.
Meanwhile, on Trump's Facebook page, two posts showing the same words remainedavailable. Facebook eventually also temporarily suspended his account.
The user who created the aforementioned meme claimed something about a cover-up to hide these tweets from the public. In reality, countless news organizations and other blogs reprinted the words from the two posts in articles published around the world.
Perhaps most important about the context behind the meme was that these tweets from Trump came after the violence at the Capitol had already started — and many months after he repeatedly promoted baseless predictions of massive voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. elections. After all, the driving force behind Trump's supporters violently protesting at the Capitol stemmed from the former president's own promotion of the false belief that the election had been stolen. To be clear, it is false to assert that the 2020 election was "stolen."
Two Tweets
Trump's account displayed the times of the posting of the first message as 2:38 p.m. EST on Twitter and 2:40 p.m. on Facebook. It read, "Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!"
The second tweet from the meme was posted a short time later, at 3:13 p.m. on Twitter and 3:14 p.m. on Facebook. The tweet said, "I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order - respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!"
USA Today published a timeline of the Capitol riot showing rioters had already breached the grounds before Trump issued his tweets about being "peaceful." In fact, after the grounds had been breached, Trump first tweeted, "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"
At 2:24 p.m. Trump tweets that "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution..." pic.twitter.com/0M5VIy7lt5
— USA TODAY Graphics (@usatgraphics) January 8, 2021
With the help of a bullhorn, one of the people at the Capitol riot read to the crowd Trump's tweet about Pence. The following video, which was unveiled by the U.S. House panel investigating the riot, showed this to be the case:
They used my footage "Mike Pence didn't have the courage" in the phenomenal @frontlinepbs "Democracy On Trial" it was actually AFTER the 187 minutes at 4:23pm and he was encouraging them to keep fighting. The National Guard had been denied 14 times by Chris Miller at that point! pic.twitter.com/kudd0EqYmw
— RealSandiBachom (@realsandibachom) January 31, 2024
Rioters shouted, "Hang Mike Pence."
The U.S. House panel also reported receiving testimony claiming Trump seemingly showed approval of the crowd's chants to "hang Mike Pence."
'We Love You. You're Very Special.'
More than an hour after Trump's second tweet, a video appeared on his social media accounts about 4:17 p.m. In the video, Trump repeated the baseless allegations of voter fraud and falsely claimed he won the election in a "landslide" victory. He told supporters, "But you have to go home now." He also spoke to the violent rioters, saying, "We love you. You're very special."
Trump's last tweet of the day appeared at 6:01 p.m. He said, "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!"
This was one of Trump's final tweets before his Twitter suspension.
Ellipse Speeches
Earlier on the same day, Trump delivered a misinformation-filled speech to supporters on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. According to The Associated Press, some supporters left early for the Capitol before he was finished speaking. Other supporters spent the morning "casing the entrances to the Capitol." During the speech, Trump used the word "peacefully" one time. According to a transcript, Trump said, "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard." At the same time, he also told them, "We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."
During the same speech, Trump told supporters, "We're going to walk down to the Capitol." In the speech, he said that he would be walking to the building with them. "I'll be there with you," Trump said. However, he did not walk with them, nor did he travel to the Capitol in any other manner.
Prior to Trump's speech, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others warmed up the crowd with brief remarks. Giuliani said, "Let's have trial by combat!" Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., also told those gathered at the Ellipse, "Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass."
Arrests, Charges and Suicides
As of August 2024, court records reflected arrests and charges for nearly 1,500 people for their alleged participation in activities related to the Capitol riot.
The Washington Post reported that 140 law enforcement officers were injured during the violence. CNN later reported Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said, "We know from talking to the hundreds of officers guarding the Capitol that day that this 140 number undercounts the number of officers who were physically injured, let alone those who have suffered trauma as a result of the day's events."
Further, CNBC published "Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who collapsed in his office after responding to the riot, died Jan. 7 from two strokes. Washington's chief medical examiner has said that 'all that transpired' during the riot played a role in Sicknick's condition." The U.S. Capitol Police published of Sicknick's death on the day following the riot, "This does not change the fact Officer Sicknick died in the line of duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol."
Additionally, CNBC reported that at least four other officers involved in defending the Capitol later died by suicide.
Trolling, taunting, spamming, and off-topic comments may be removed at the discretion of group mods. NT members that vote up their own comments, repeat comments, respond to themselves, or continue to disrupt the conversation risk having all their comments deleted. Please remember to quote the person(s) you are replying to preserve the continuity of this seed. Posting debunked lies will be subject to deletion
No Fascism References, Memes, Source Dissing.
Tags
Who is online
428 visitors
Gonna be some "nuh uh's" on this one. hahaha
Without a single doubt.
Excuse me but wasn't it you who posted the other day that he just sat there with his thumb up his ass and did nothing? I am sure it was.
Why you think this article makes Trump look good is beyond me.
In any case, he sat in the Oval Office for hours watching the riot on television and did nothing to stop it, unless you think sending out a tweet about peacefulness after the riot was underway is a replacement for making phone calls to law enforcement and ordering a bigger response.
What the f was he supposed to do? He told supporters to protest peacefully. He offered nan nan and bowowser the national guard, both bimbos said no. So, what the f was he supposed to do?
It sounds like some folks think Trump was in charge of local law enforcement.
He wasn't.
“It sounds like some folks think Trump was in charge of local law enforcement.”
or owns a magic wand.
lmao
He was the fucking president of the United States and the US Capitol was under assault and his main contribution was watching it on television.
Mike Pence, the vice president made phone calls for help on Jan 6th, but Trump, the president couldnt ?
Trump supporters are a joke.
We hear over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over times infinity that “he just sat there, he did nothing”. But we never hear what he should have done amazing, isn’t it?
Trump [✘] has now been asked at least three times on national television to say what he was doing on the afternoon of jan 6th while the riot was taking place, and he has refused to answer the direct question three times.[✘]
What the fuck was he supposed to do?
Yeah, you say that about zillion fucking times a day but you never say what he was supposed to do? Because you don’t fucking know.
He was SUPPOSED TO DO whatever he could. Does "nothing" sound like whatever he could to you?
You know what he WAS doing? He was calling members of Congress to ask them to follow the plan and delay the vote count.
Yeah, you’re right, he should’ve changed into his gym shorts and put on his sneakers and ran down to the capitol building and physically stopped the crowd himself. You have no fucking clue what he should've done, just admit it. nan nan and bowowser should’ve taken him up on his national guard offer, don’t ya think?
What offer? The imaginary one that exists only in his mind?
But even if he had made an "offer" before Jan 6th, what the fuck does that have to do with what was happening on the afternoon of Jan6th , which he was watching on television and eating chicken nuggets when he should have been looking for law enforcement reinforcements to stop it.
Ray Charles could see he didnt want it to stop, thats why he did nothing. He wanted them to succeed in delaying the vote.
If Trumps behavior was okey dokey, why wont he answer the question?
This entire discussion is insanity.
Fact check: Trump did not request 10,000 Guard troops for Jan. 6
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Pelosi rejected Trump's request for 10,000 National Guard troops to be deployed before Jan. 6. Pelosi's office said the speaker was not contacted about deploying the National Guard prior to the rally, and the Pentagon has previously stated that there is no record of … See more
He did make the offer. I know it will be very difficult for you to accept that but it’s true. Look it up. I also find that rather odd that someone who supposedly knows everything about j6 , you didn’t know that. Hmmm, that extremely partisan, i mean, committee, must’ve left that out of their findings, i wonder why? Or maybe that info was in the pile of documents they shredded?
“If Trumps behavior was okey doke”
Maybe he was using the “moderate” timmy walz strategy, let this shit burn!
WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) released a transcribed interview the January 6 Select Committee conducted with President Trump's former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato, which shows President Donald Trump pushed for 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the nation’s capital.
The interview also shows White House frustration with slow deployment of assistance. The Select Committee conducted this interview in January of 2022, but never released it.
Following Mollie Hemingway's reporting, Chairman Loudermilk released the following statement:
“The former J6 Select Committee apparently withheld Mr. Ornato’s critical witness testimony from the American people because it contradicted their pre-determined narrative," said Chairman Loudermilk. "Mr. Ornato's testimony proves what Mr. Meadows has said all along, President Trump did in fact offer 10,000 National Guard troops to secure the U.S. Capitol, which was turned down.
"This is just one example of important information the former Select Committee hid from the public because it contradicted what they wanted the American people to believe. And, this is exactly why my investigation is committed to uncovering all the facts, no matter the outcome.”
Sorry, you can not mobilize the NG that fast.
So he can't do anything about the border without it becoming militarized, but he should have called in the troops on domestic protesters?..
Your post reminded me of Reagan's quote!
Not a word in there about Trump offering 10,000 troops to Pelosi or the mayor of DC.
The Secretary of Defense testified that Trump gave no such order.
145 cops were injured. Did Trump move a single muscle to help them? NO.
It happened, johnny. Look it up.
What happened?
[✘]
I wonder how many of those 17000+ were bailed out by Kamala Harris's fund?...
Read this link,
LOL. This seed is about Jan 6th. At least your in "good" company, Trump changes the subject away from Jan 6th every chance he gets too.
Okay, so how many deaths were there on January 6th?
I'll make this easy for you, if the Trump White House requested national guard troops from Miller on Jan 6th, why doesnt Trump just say so ?
Maybe he knows Miller says it didnt happen.
I made it as easy as possible on you, just read the link.
Several associated with it including the traitor Babbitt.
Lie, there is no evidence of Trump ordering National Guard to be on alert.
Not true
Lol, you didn’t read the link, did you? I didn’t think you would but put it up just in case.
Deflection. What does this have to do with 1/6?
Associated? Wtf does that mean?
Why so hostile?
I cant comment to these people anymore. They are flagging me for triggering them.
I've not flagged.you. That you have a hard time with "but Trump" isn't anyone's problem but your own.
Yea, we know how that is.
So no answer?
indeed .
To quote the Queen,
"At this point, what difference does it make?"
So then using that mindset, you are just as culpable.
Just as you don't answer the question either.
The "Committee" didn't want the truth to come out, they wanted to crucify The Bad Orange Man.
And that's blowing up in their faces as the truth actually comes out.
You should pay closer attention to what's going on:
“As Nancy Pelosi was being evacuated from the Capitol on January 6, 2021 she admitted that, as Speaker of the House, she was responsible for the security failures, and for not having the National Guard at the Capitol,” said Chairman Loudermilk .
How in the hell could you possibly know that? Is there a mole in the mod ranks?
Mere guessing. That's usually what happens when you think everybody is out to get you.
He could have gone down there himself and told the crowd to disperse and said that when he told them to "Fight like hell" just a few hours before, attacking the capital was not what he meant. The crowd would have immediately stopped their attempted insurrection.
It was a mixed message at best at his rally earlier that day. To tell his supporters to go "stop the steal" and to "fight like hell" because "if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore" and then to offhandedly say to "to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard" doesn't remove the violent rhetoric he said minutes before.
Even an immediate media appearance telling the protestors to stop attacking the Capital and that all he was asking them to do was peacefully protest would have gone a long way to clear him of any claims of inciting the attempted insurrection. But based on his actions at the time he clearly did not want to stop it and was waiting to see if they would be successful before finally hours and hours later coming out to thank them and tell them to go home.
Say, Jim, where did you claim this makes Trump look good?
I can't seem to find it anywhere!
Me either🙃
I think certain people are throwing a hissy fit because actual facts don't fit what they were told to believe.
I don't understand the obsession.
There is a long list of reasons for it. For example:
You all need to have it figured out by now, Trump is all powerful and responsible for everything up to and including Bidens incompetence for the Afghanistan withdrawal, Democrat politicians are infective pieces of crap and aren't responsible for anything other than Unicorn rainbow farts and free shit for takers too lazy to work.
Since Trump is getting the blame for the Biden/Harris Admin. screwups, maybe we don't even need Democrats!
Hey, don’t forget that obama gets the credit for trumps fantastic economy!
Obama handed Trump a strong economy which he immediately tanked.
2017-2019? What metrics are you using?
I believe they are called talking points.