Why Donald Trump's Startling Claim About The Capitol Riot Has Twitter Fuming

Those of us who watched the riot unfold on January 6, 2021 in the U.S. Capitol aren't likely to forget the violent scenes of Trump supporters breaking past Capitol Police in order to try and stop ballots from the November 2020 election from being certified. It was for that reason that Donald Trump was impeached an unprecedented second time, just weeks before the end of his term, and why the January 6 commission was formed so Congress might get to the bottom of what happened that day.

And while many of us suspected that former president Trump himself has held a different view of what happened that day, it took the House of Representatives' decision to hold his associate, Steve Bannon, in contempt for him to reveal exactly what he thought of the day in a Tweet-style statement, claiming, "The insurrection took place on November 3, Election Day. January 6 was the Protest!" The statement, which was shared via social media and by the Associated Press, triggered both disbelief and outrage from the conservative Never Trumpers and liberals alike.

Political analyst Bill Kristol, who served as a senior adviser to former presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, shared a screenshot of Donald Trump's statement, along with a quote from George Orwell's book, "1984", which read, "'The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.'" The Orwell book is a dystopian tale about a society run by an authoritarian regime and which popularized catchphrases like "Big Brother," "Thought Police," and "thoughtcrime" (via The Atlantic).

Some of those who responded to Kristol's post saw Trump's statement as an admission that he had a hand in the violence that occurred on January 6, 2021. "The guy who claims there was no insurrection on January 6th is the same guy who organized it," said one social media user. Another Twitter user pointed out that, "If the truth be known Trump was planning the insurrection the very day he was voted in to office. As he knew he was ever going to be a one term President at best. Why did you think he started saying he could only lose if it was rigged." But a third warned, "How many ads are being cut right now juxtaposing Trump's 'protest' remark, along with the anemic videos he cut on Jan 6 against the horrific videos and still images everyone saw. It won't affect the alt-right. They love it. It will, however, keep thinking voters away from Trump."