In what seemed like a chilling reminder of the Capitol riot, former US President Donald Trump on Monday (January 6) shared a photograph shortly before the certification of the 2024 election results.

Advertisment

Also read: Nippon Steel, US Steel sue Biden administration for halting multi-billion dollar merger

The image, originally taken during the 2021 Capitol riot, was posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform. It shows a crowd gathered near the Washington Monument on the day a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol building. The attack was an attempt to disrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, causing lawmakers to evacuate.

Also read: After Germany, France accuses Elon Musk of 'direct intervention' in elections; Norway PM terms it 'worrying'

Advertisment

Trump also posted on his social media platform, “CONGRESS CERTIFIES OUR GREAT ELECTION VICTORY TODAY — A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY. MAGA!”

In a separate post, Trump quoted Musk, saying, “Had this election not been won by Donald Trump, civilisation would be lost.” The US Capitol Police has enlisted help from at least 18 other law enforcement agencies. 

What happened during the Capitol riot?

Advertisment

After Biden’s win in the 2020 US presidential elections, Trump called for Congress and the vice president to block the Democrat's certification. He alleged election fraud had led to his defeat.

On the election certification day, thousands of Trump supporters rallied outside the White House and attacked the Capitol building, which led to a delay in Biden’s certification until the next morning.

Defending his role in instigating the riot, Trump has previously claimed that the thousands of people who travelled to Washington, DC, that day did so because "they thought the election was a rigged election”.

"Nothing done wrong at all. There were no guns down there. We didn’t have guns. The others had guns, but we didn’t have guns. And when I say we, these are people that walked down—this was a tiny percentage of the overall, which nobody sees and nobody, nobody shows. But that was a day of love," he added.

Ahead of the Capitol riot anniversary, US President Joe Biden said on Sunday (Jan 5) that the events of January 6, 2021, should not be forgotten or “rewritten”.

"I don't think we should pretend it didn't happen," Biden told reporters at the White House.

"I think what he did was a genuine threat to democracy. I'm hopeful that we're beyond it," he added.

"I think it should not be rewritten, I don't think it should be forgotten," he said.

(With inputs form agencies)