After pressure on state legislatures and dozens of lawsuits failed to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, outgoing President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to descend upon D.C. on January 6th for the joint session of Congress to certify the election's results.
Trump's supporters erroneously hoped Vice President Mike Pence—who oversaw the joint session—would wield power he doesn't have to throw out the electoral results of at least six swing states where Trump lies that widespread voter fraud coordinated by Democrats tipped the election to Biden.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was the first to back a House objection, targeting the electoral votes of Arizona and forcing the House and Senate into two hour separate debates.
The proceedings came to a halt when pro-Trump extremists stormed the Capitol, forcing the Vice President to evacuate and lawmakers to hide in offices and behind their seats. The rioters roamed freely through the Capitol, parading around the Senate floor and ransacking lawmakers' offices, like that of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
The siege on the Capitol occurred just after Trump spoke at a "Save America" rally, urging his supporters to "fight" for him and walk to the Capitol to make their position known.
Trump made haphazard attempts to calm his supporters with a video and two tweets urging them to go home, though he repeated the same election lies that mobilized them to storm the Capitol. His Twitter account was locked for 12 hours out of fears it would further incite violence.
The unprecedented chaos resulted in four deaths and dozens of arrests in the most gruesome culmination yet of Trump's months-long refusal to concede the election—a refusal that's persisted after multiple recounts, audits, failed court cases, and countless lies about American election integrity.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Congress confirmed President-elect Biden's victory.
Hours later, a statement shared by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino expressed Trump's first explicit acknowledgment of an imminent presidential transition.
Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Electoral Certification:
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our...
— Dan Scavino🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) January 7, 2021
...fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!"
— Dan Scavino🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) January 7, 2021
Though the statement was still riddled with the very lies that motivated insurrection from his supporters, Trump assured there would be an "orderly transition."
It took an armed insurrection and fears of his cabinet invoking the 25th Amendment for Trump to acknowledge he wouldn't get a second term.
After inciting a civil war that left four Americans dead, Trump finally concedes defeat and accepts an “orderly transition" of power on January 20. https://t.co/TE6OAYbDzf
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 7, 2021
Far too little too late. https://t.co/ugg4phUouM
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) January 7, 2021
Sent in the wee hours after Congress put the final nail in the coffin of the effort to overturn the results, this Trump statement is as close to a concession as we'll likely get. https://t.co/OF6U5WykqV
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) January 7, 2021
I kinda feel like maybe the opportunity to say this was yesterday morning, before he sent a mob to march on the Capitol and stop Congress from doing its Constitutional duty, and now we are well past the point where he gets to have any say on when his last day in office will be. https://t.co/9bCXB80MRJ
— Dan Curtis Johnson (@dcurtisj) January 7, 2021
After four years of erraticism from the White House, some people aren't buying it.
Lying. After and despite all the damage he has done, still lying. https://t.co/CoT2zGEcC9
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) January 7, 2021
Same people who argued that the whistleblower complaint was “hearsay" and should not be believed present you with hearsay statement that the President is going to leave peacefully https://t.co/NcaBYmNSFI
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) January 7, 2021
I wouldn't count on this being operative for long, if it even came from him at all. But it's more than I thought I'd ever see: https://t.co/Y2kHyq5r4x
— Dan Froomkin/PressWatchers.org (@froomkin) January 7, 2021
Some Trump supporters aren't taking the statement as a concession.
1st term is done. 2nd term will include a new cabinet by his side ;) Insurrection coming soon... #BREAKING #InsurrectionActNow #CoupAttempt https://t.co/Qj5jlBsavL
— Ronald (@ronaldchavez76) January 7, 2021
Orderly Transition to
TRUMP 2.0 🤪🤣 https://t.co/yjHh0NdSYt
— D'Plorbl DREGs (@DontDregMeBro) January 7, 2021
#BREAKING: Does this sound like a concession to you? He does not say “transition to a second Trump term" but that is what he means. https://t.co/a6Ze1XGjns
— America First (@AmericaFirst_DT) January 7, 2021
The President's lies that the election was "stolen" continues to erode faith in American democracy among his supporters—a false faith that, as yesterday showed, has led to violence.
