Donald Trump says January 6 was a 'day of love' after being pressed on insurrection

17 October 2024, 14:54

Former President Donald Trump has described January 6 as a “day of love” when pressed on the insurrection that saw thousands storm the Capitol building in Washington.

Trump claimed the armed mob that marched on the Capitol did so because “they thought the election was a rigged election” and not because of him.

The Republican candidate denied any involvement in the insurrection, which President Joe Biden called “the darkest of days.”

“Nothing done wrong at all,” Trump told a crowd in Florida, arguing he took "strong action" in its wake.

Read more: Donald Trump to work shift at McDonald's as he questions Kamala Harris' past job

He went on to falsely claim: “There were no guns down there, we didn't have guns, the others had guns, but we didn't have guns."

The mob of Trump supporters that stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 were seeking to stop Congress from counting electoral college votes and formalising the victory of Joe Biden. Five people died in incidents connected to the attacks.

It marked the most large-scale and open attack on American democracy in the country’s history and has been widely condemned by people on both sides of the political aisle.

Photos from the day saw many of the rioters wearing MAGA hats and carrying Trump flags.

Windows were smashed and buildings were destroyed as the violent mob breached the Capitol building.

As rioters made their way in, members of Congress hid in locked rooms and cupboards.

The insurrection was fueled by claims from the Trump camp that Joe Biden “stole” and “rigged” the 2022 presidential election.

It comes as the director of a film about Donald Trump told LBC he would like to have the former president onboard to help market the project after he gave a scathing review on social media.

Ali Abbasi, the director of the Apprentice film about Mr Trump's early business career, said the biopic was "very fair, very balanced" despite the 2024 presidential hopeful's claim it was a "disgusting hatchet job".

The film, which came out last week, has faced several hurdles - including an attempt by Mr Trump to have its release legally blocked.

Mr Trump said on his social media site Truth Social that the film was "cheap" and "defamatory", and constituted an attempt to swing the presidential election, to be held in under a month.

Mr Abbasi joked that when he first saw Mr Trump's post he told himself: "I wish I could retain him for our marketing team, but I know he's busy."