On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden addressed the nation on the first anniversary of the assault of the Capitol on January 6. In his speech, he highlighted the participation of former President Donald Trump in the protests.
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On the first anniversary of the irruptions on the U.S. Capitol, Biden released what he labeled as the "God's truth," he stressed the global concerns that the insurrection performed by Trump's supporters has awakened about the future of American democracy.
"For the first time in our history, a president not just lost an election, he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol, but they failed," Biden stated. "Democracy was attacked," he added. "We the people endure. We the people prevailed."
In his speech, Biden linked what truly happened with false narratives regarding the Capitol irruption shared by a significant percentage of Republicans who denied that Biden had indeed won the elections in 2020. "You and I and the whole world saw with our own eyes," said Biden. "Here is the God's truth about Jan. 6, 2021," he continued. "They were looking to subvert the Constitution."
"We must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie. Here's the truth," he stressed. "The former President of the United States of America has spread a web of lies about the 2020 election."
Congressional Republicans worldwide condemned the attack to the Capitol days after, while most stayed loyal to the former president. Liz Cheney, Republican and a chair of the House committee investigating the attack and one of the few GOP lawmakers attending the Capitol ceremonies stated that the threats continue, as Trump continues to make the same claims that were the cause of the violence evidenced in the Capitol last January 6.
"Unfortunately, too many in my own party are embracing the former president, are looking the other way or minimizing the danger," Cheney said. "That's how democracies die. We simply cannot let that happen."
Biden noted during his campaign that his objective for running for the White House was to fight for the "soul of the nation" after Trump's comments about the people who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. According to Biden, the events of last January 6 reflected his fears, as he warned at the time that American democracy was at stake.
Biden made a background about his inaugural address just two weeks after the incident. He called the leaders to speak the truth about the attack and what motivated it — even as some GOP lawmakers and the public deny the events of that day.
"There is truth and there are lies," Biden said then. "Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders — leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies."