It’s been three years since the storming of the US Capitol – it's now a central election issue, writes 1News US Correspondent Logan Church.
In a city full of incredible, grand buildings, there are few, if any, quite so splendid as the US Capitol.
Its gleaming white exterior soars into the sky, its dome visible from much of the city. We arrived there just after five o’clock on a winter afternoon, as the setting sun lit the building up in a brilliant orange.
It’s almost like the architect had seen the grandest buildings in Europe and said, “I want that but bigger and better”.
(The history of this building is fascinating, but we will save that for another day.)
It’s quite spectacular.
The grounds themselves are pristine, and as we walked around it, we saw families playing on the lawn and tourists taking selfies in front of its lake. A police officer merrily cycled past us.
A far cry from the chaotic hell of January 6, 2021, which is now being commemorated in America on its third anniversary.
At this point three years ago, it was clear that Donald Trump had lost the 2020 election. Well, clear to everyone except Donald Trump, his allies, and thousands of supporters.
He held a rally on the grand lawn not far from the Capitol.
“All of us here today don't want to see our election stolen by the radical democrats, which is what they are doing, and stolen by the fake news media,” he cried to cheers of support and outrage.
After the rally, thousands of his followers descended on the Capitol building itself, quickly overwhelming the Capitol police and breaking in. Inside, lawmakers who were attempting to confirm the election results were whisked away to relative safety.
"Oh my gosh, they are just breaking windows,” said then-Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who was watching what was happening outside live on CNN. She was filmed speaking on her cell phone.
“They said somebody was shot. It’s just, it’s just horrendous. And all at the instigation of the President of the United States.”
Since that day, hundreds of people have been charged with crimes. Many convicted.
Donald Trump himself is facing charges relating to his alleged part, which he strongly denies.
Today, Joe Biden made his first campaign speech in 2024 today in Pennsylvania, a somewhat symbolic choice as the speech was made near the spot where George Washington and his Continental Army spent an awful winter almost 250 years ago.
Americans love their symbolism.
"Today we gather in a new year, some 246 years later, just one day before January 6th. A day forever seared in our memory because it was on that day that we nearly lost America, lost it all,” said Biden to a full auditorium.
“Trump's mob wasn't a peaceful protest; it was a violent assault. They were insurrectionists, not patriots. They weren't there to uphold the Constitution. They were there to destroy the Constitution,” he said.
“As we begin this election year, we must be clear: democracy is on the ballot. Your freedom is on the ballot... The alternative to democracy is dictatorship.”
In short – Biden's campaign platform is simple – beat Trump, who, on current polling, will likely end up as the Republican nominee. And he’s trying to use the memory of what happened on Jan 6, 2021, to do it.
Trump, for his part, has been consistent with his messaging, repeatedly accusing Biden of weaponising the Justice Department against him.
“Joe Biden is a low IQ individual - he is truly the worst, most incompetent, most corrupt President in the history of our country,” said Trump at a recent campaign rally.
He and other Republican candidates – particularly Vivek Ramaswamy, who frequently praises the former President, have talked about granting pardons to those criminally charged for their part in the Capitol storming.
“Every peaceful protestor that day will receive a pardon. That is justice in this country,” said Ramaswamy recently at his own rally.
Three years may have passed since that sad day, but it’s still firmly etched in the minds of all Americans heading into this election race.
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