Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is set to symbolically wrap up her presidential campaign on Tuesday with a “closing argument” delivered from the U.S. Capitol, the very location where Republican Donald Trump incited a mob to storm the building on January 6, 2021. That day, Trump falsely claimed that the election had been stolen from him, urging his supporters to march to the Capitol.
During his speech on that fateful day, Trump told the crowd, “We will not take it anymore, and that’s what this is all about,” while rallying them with the phrase “Stop the steal.” He asserted that he would present evidence proving a landslide victory, despite the election being certified by authorities.
The January 6 incident not only led to Trump’s criminal charges for attempting to overturn the election results but also resulted in over 1,500 individuals facing charges related to the Capitol siege. Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric was clear when he urged his followers, “And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” His claims of election fraud persisted despite numerous legal challenges that were dismissed, and even after members of his own Cabinet rejected his assertions.
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The events leading to the insurrection were sparked by a December 19, 2020, tweet from Trump, calling for a “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, it will be wild!” He expressed hopes that then-Vice President Mike Pence would support his efforts to block the certification of the election results, emphasizing that “we’re supposed to protect our country, support our Constitution.”
Despite being physically absent from the protest, Trump monitored the unfolding chaos live on Fox News from the White House. The insurrection resulted in the deaths of seven individuals and left over 140 injured. Following the violence, Trump described the rioters as “patriots” during a rally in Ohio, vowing to assist them once back in office.
Harris’s decision to conclude her campaign at the site of the January 6 attack serves as a strategic move to highlight the stark contrast between her vision for America and Trump’s baseless election claims.