Trump’s supporters have been led to believe that the election was stolen from the president, when it was not. They’re attacking police at the Capitol in response.
Last updated on January 6, 2021, at 3:29 p.m. ET
Posted on January 6, 2021, at 1:45 p.m. ET
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A protester holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol Building near the Senate Chamber on January 6, in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON — Thousands of supporters of Donald Trump have staged an attempted coup at the president’s urging, rioting and breaching the halls of Congress while elected officials were beginning to certify Joe Biden’s presidential election win, gaining access to the floor of the Senate and setting off an armed standoff with law enforcement in the House of Representatives.
A shot was apparently fired inside the Capitol, according to a witness video posted to social media, which showed a person draped in a Trump flag slumping to the floor. Television cameras captured a person being wheeled from the building on a stretcher, bleeding, with someone compressing her chest.
The insurrection, egged on by an aggrieved Trump who refuses to concede an election he has firmly lost, came when his supporters stormed the Capitol Wednesday morning, with many supporters breaking through barricades of police officers and breaching the doors.
With the violence already underway, Trump tweeted asking for his supporters at the Capitol to “remain peaceful.”
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US Capitol police officers point guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on January 6, in Washington, DC.
The chaotic scene at the Capitol was unprecedented. Rioters waving Trump flags and banners ostensibly in support of police openly clashed with law enforcement officials, who seemed unprepared for the onslaught of people that the president has been promising for days now.
Members of Congress said tear gas was being dispersed inside of the Capitol building, with members being asked to grab the gas masks below their chairs. As Capitol Police told members to prepare to relocate to their cloakrooms, Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen yelled, “Call Trump! Call your friend!” according to a pool report.
The violence from Trump’s supporters had been brewing openly for weeks on the pro-Trump internet, where, on forums like the r/TheDonald subreddit, supporters have been publicly promising violence against lawmakers, police, and journalists if Congress did not comply with Trump’s demand to overthrow the results of the 2020 election.
Just after 2:15 p.m., the House and Senate recessed and Capitol Police locked the doors to the House gallery, warning members not to leave, as House leaders were escorted out, according to pool reports. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota reportedly yelled, “This is because of you,” apparently in reference to his Republican colleagues objecting to certifying electoral results.
In the Senate, reporters said that about 200 people were sealed in the chamber and that an officer “with an orange POLICE badge across his chest appeared on the floor with what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon,” standing between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to a pool report.
Police began evacuating members of Congress from the House around 2:40 p.m. The Senate Parliamentarian grabbed the boxes holding the Electoral College certificates before leaving, the pool reported. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that Federal Protective Service and Secret Service have been requested to provide assistance to Capitol Hill Police, and they are fulfilling that request.
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A protester inside the US Capitol Building on January 6, in Washington, DC.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy made a brief appearance on Fox News around 3:15 p.m., where he said he was with Capitol Police and heard over the radio 10 to 15 minutes earlier that shots had been fired. He did not answer when asked if shots were fired inside or outside the Capitol.
McCarthy also said he spoke with Trump and explained the situation at the Capitol. Asked what the president said, McCarthy said, “He put out a tweet, too.”
A reporter with evacuated House lawmakers said many of them gathered to say a prayer, some kneeling or bowing their heads.
Trump had urged his supporters to “peacefully” march toward the Capitol building, falsely claiming that Democrats were stealing the election.
“Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness,” he told supporters gathered in front of the White House, “you have to show strength, and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated. Lawfully slated. I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building. To peacefully, patriotically make your voices heard.”
Reporters in the Capitol said an audio message played asking people to stay away from exterior windows due to an “external security threat.” The message said no entry into or exit from the building was allowed, meaning the complex is functionally in a lockdown.
Videos show a mass of Trump supporters carrying flags and banners storming law enforcement officials, who pushed, used shields, and fired what appeared to be pepper spray in defense.
Cellphones are not permitted in the Senate chamber, meaning many lawmakers were likely unaware of the chaos unfolding outside the Capitol while they debated the objection. According to a pool report, Senate leadership appeared to be passing notes during the debate and looked concerned. Soon after, the Capitol was locked down.
Capitol Police ordered the evacuations of two Capitol campus buildings: the Madison Building and Cannon House Office building. It was unclear why the buildings were evacuated, but alerts sent to staffers said it was due to “police activity.”
Police also sent an alert saying they were investigating a suspicious package in the 300 block of First Street SE. Capitol Police later gave the all clear to staffers in the Cannon House Office building.
Members of Congress tweeted that they were being evacuated or sheltering in place because of the police activity.
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace tweeted that she evacuated her office in Cannon “due to a nearby threat.” “Now we’re seeing protesters assaulting Capitol Police,” she tweeted. “This is wrong. This is not who we are. I’m heartbroken for our nation today.”
Virginia Rep. Elaine Luria, who also evacuated her office, tweeted, “I don’t recognize our country today and the members of Congress who have supported this anarchy do not deserve to represent their fellow Americans.” Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens said she was sheltering in place due to evacuations in the next building. “I can’t believe I have to write this,” she said in a tweet.
Trump’s supporters converged on Washington Wednesday, with Congress set to confirm Biden’s victory, at the direct urging of the president. In a tweet, Trump told supporters the day’s events “will be wild.”
The mayor of Washington, DC, ordered a 6 p.m. curfew in response to the violence.
Hamed Aleaziz contributed reporting to this story.
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