President Biden will discuss his view that former President Donald Trump was responsible for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in his speech on the first anniversary of the attack.
When asked Wednesday whether Mr. Biden would address Mr. Trump’s role in the riot, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that he would.
“I would expect that President Biden will lay out the significance of what happened at the Capitol and the singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage that we saw,” Ms. Psaki told reporters.
“He will forcibly push back on the lie spread by the former president in an attempt to mislead the American people and his own supporters, as well as distract from his role and what happened,” she continued.
When asked whether Mr. Biden will refer to Mr. Trump by name, Ms. Psaki said that was still up in the air.
“We’ll see; we’re finalizing the speech but I think people will know who he’s referring to,” she said.
Ms. Psaki added that Mr. Biden is involved in writing the speech and feels personally affected by the attack, because of his nearly four-decade career in the Senate.
Both Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala D. Harris will speak Thursday morning at the U.S. Capitol to commemorate the anniversary of the attack.
The White House has said that Mr. Biden’s speech will underscore the date’s historical significance, recognize the bravery of law enforcement and outline the work Americans must do to strengthen democracy.
After Mr. Trump lost the 2020 election, he held a rally on Jan. 6 where he falsely claimed widespread voter fraud led to his defeat. Hundreds of Trump supporters then stormed the Capitol, forcing lawmakers into hiding and delaying Congress’ certification of Mr. Biden’s win.
The House impeached Mr. Trump a week later for inciting an insurrection, but the Senate acquitted him.
Source:Washington Times
