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Joe Biden calls Capitol violence 'insurrection', slams Donald Trump for stoking the flames: 'This is not who we are'

The president-elect asked his predecessor to order the mob to move out of the Capitol and defend the Constitution

President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, January 6, asked President Donald Trump to order the mob that breached the US Capitol during the day to move out. The incoming president called the attack an “insurrection” and accused his predecessor of “stoking the flames of hate and chaos”. Addressing from Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said: “I call on President Trump to go on national television to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege.

“Let me be very clear: The scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect the true America. This is not who we are.”

The president-elect also called the mob as “extremists” and said they were “dedicated to lawlessness”. He called it disorder and not dissent. “It is chaos. It borders on sedition. And it must end. Now,” he said. 

Biden, who has been serving as a politician for several decades now, said he couldn’t believe the scenes at the Capitol as rioters smashed windows and occupied Congressional offices and got into the floors of both the chambers of the Congress. “It’s not a protest, it’s an insurrection,” he said, adding: “I am generally shocked and saddened”. He also called it an especially “dark moment”. 

“The certification of the Electoral College votes is supposed to be a sacred ritual in which we affirm the majesty of American democracy,” the president-elect, whose inauguration is just weeks away, said. “Today is a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile.” He also reminded Trump that the world is watching. 

“Think of what our children who are watching are thinking. Think of what the rest of the world is looking at,” Biden said, adding that he would work on a “restoration of democracy” to help the country build back from this moment. “So President Trump, step up,” Biden said, before concluding his address. He took no questions.  

Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the Capitol as scores of Trump supporters stormed it in the afternoon to protest the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The Congress met on Jan 6 to affirm the Electoral College votes cementing Biden’s win, something that Trump and his loyalists are not ready to acknowledge claiming that the election was stolen. A woman supporter of Trump was shot in the chest and she succumbed to her injuries later. Dozens of policemen were also reportedly injured in the clashes with the demonstrators and law-enforcement officials said at least one pipe bomb was found at the scenes after the violence started. The entire National Guard was deployed to the Capitol and the cops declared a 6 pm curfew for DC. 

Trump asks rioters to go home but reiterates voter fraud

Trump, who had been asking his supporters to assemble in DC to protest the election results, released a video message after Biden concluded his speech in which he asked the rioters to “go home now” and told them: “We love you, you’re very special”. However, he also repeated his claim that the election was compromised and he was made to lose. In a tweet, he said: “I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”

The president addressed his supporters at a rally in DC during the day where he said he will not concede citing “theft” and called on Vice President Mike Pence to do “the right thing” as the Congress prepared to certify Biden’s win. A number of the president’s allies in the Congress plotted to disrupt what is a routine legislative process, leaving the Republican Party deeply split.

Twitter said that it locked Trump's account for 12 hours and warned for the first time that it may suspend it permanently. It said the temporary lock reflected the president's violation of its rules.