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"Qui totum vult totum predit."
A famous proverb in Latin that means "He who wants everything loses everything", and this seems to be the case with the current US President Donald Trump.
The day of the incident
On Wednesday, 6th of January 2021, President Donald Trump incited his supporters to protest while the US House of Representative and Senate were supposed to certify President-Elect Joe Biden's win.
The scene in front of the House of Representatives & Senate was something like a scene from the Netflix series 'Designated Survivors.'
The United States and the rest of the world watched in awe as thousands of wild, armed, misinformed Trump supporters marched on the Capitol to express their anger against the results of the Presidential Election 2020.
Donald Trump has refused to accept his loss to President-Elect Joe Biden. He has constantly disputed the results of the election, and under the context of 'voter fraud,' he filed various litigations in the court of law. All the courts in the country including the Supreme Court of America have repeatedly said, there was no such evidence.
Even after all the failed court cases, Trump used his vast political influence in the Republican party and as President to 'ask' various representatives to go against the will of the people to keep him in power.
While Trump conducted such backhand maneuvers, he also constantly misused his power as the President and deliberately misinformed his supporters to protest against the democratically elected President-Elect.
"We will never give up, we will never concede," Trump said, delighting the crowd by calling Democratic victories the product of what he called "explosions of bullshit."
"Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!" people chanted in reply.
Following the incident, Joe Biden went LIVE and addressed the nation and when asked about the protestors, he said it's "not a protest, it's insurrection." He called on Trump to demand "an end to this siege."
Eventually, Trump posted a recorded video on Twitter. The video was clearly scripted and was most probably done by Trump succumbing to the enormous pressure and backlash he received for his role in inciting the mob.
"I know you're hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election," Trump said, repeating familiar falsehoods. "But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order." - President Donald Trump
Rioters stormed the capitol, smashed windows to occupy offices and the floor of the US Senate. Several pictures went viral where we have seen how rioters sieged and destroyed the USA's landmark that serves as the light of democracy.
Pic- This man with his feet up on the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk. Clearly, there had been no fear among the rioters at that time
Photographer Jim Lo Scalzo described US Capitol riots as “it was like a Zombie movie.
But, the question that arises now is, how the protestors managed to break into the US Capitol which is supposed to be one of the safest buildings in the USA, after the White House? The world watched as rioters roamed freely, vandalizing and looting the House of Congress. But where was the Security?
The Washington Post, citing sources close to the matter, says that Capitol Police charged with guarding the building and its grounds did not make an early request for help from the city's main police force or the National Guards.
Many officers were injured, and five people died in the Pro-Trump mob.
Nick Ochs, a known member of the Proud Boys far-right group, tweeted a selfie of himself inside and later told CNN, "There were thousands of people inside, and the police had no control of the situation. I wasn't stopped or questioned." (BBC)
The Chief of US Capitol Police Steve Sund, who had initially defended the police for their inactions during the siege, later gave his resignation alongside the departures of the sergeant-at-arms for both the House and Senate.
One of the workers of the Capitol building said "We've been doing this since 7 AM," as he loaded damaged furniture onto carts in the early afternoon.
Legal action against the rioters
All the protestors who are reportedly participated in the riots are likely to face criminal charges. FBI has even set up a tip line and a website where they are urging the American people to help them identify the protestors.
Media and world leader reactions:
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented "On the United States and the election, I want to say that all my life America has stood for some very important things — an idea of freedom and an idea of democracy. And ... so far as he encouraged people to storm the Capitol and insofar as the President has consistently cast doubt on the outcome of a free and fair election, I believe that that was completely wrong."
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, "We are certain the US will ensure that the rules of democracy are protected."
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven: "The democratic election process must be respected."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called out for a peaceful transfer of power.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called Trump a "sick person".
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this event "disgraceful".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "A basic rule of democracy is after the election there are winners and losers, both have to play their role with decency and responsibility so that democracy itself remains the winner."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, "Violence will never succeed in overruling the will of the people. Democracy in the US must be upheld -- and it will be."
The Aftermath
Immediately in the aftermath of the siege, Trump's social media accounts were frozen. Twitter froze his account for 12 hours while Facebook issued a statement saying the president's account has been suspended 'indefinitely'. Twitter later permanently banned Trump and deleted his account and tweeted out a statement. "After a close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them, we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence."
Twitter was the main medium through which the President conducted his misinformation campaigns. So, the loss of it, at least temporarily, will stop him to address his 90 million supporters and incite more violence. The President has still access to the @POTUS & @WhiteHouse account, but Twitter has assured that they will be monitoring the content and limit the use of them if necessary. Trump has made a statement saying he will start his own medium of communication with his supporters.
The 45th President Donald Trump might be facing some serious consequences as the instigator of this mob. Many Democrats and Republicans are uniting in the battle stuck halls of the US House of Representative & Senate to remove the president from office even with only 2 weeks of Presidency left. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has stated that if Trump doesn't resign immediately, the House will move forward with the motion of impeaching the president again. The House speaker and other Democratic leaders have already started to float documents among the members of congress which charge Trump of “inciting violence against the government of the United States”.
If Trump is convicted by both the Congress and the Senate, it will ascertain that he cannot return to power in the future. Conviction in the House and Senate will also open up the doors to indictment where the accused will have to face the court of law and will be Tried, Judged & Punished to the full extent of the law.
Trump has said he will not be attending President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, and to this President-elect Biden has responded by saying… it might be the only thing he agrees upon with Trump. When asked about the current Vice-President Mike Pense, he replied "he will be welcomed."
The 46th President will take control of the office on the 20th of January. He has a difficult road ahead as his predecessor has shaken the position of the United States in the world. He has to right many wrongs and reforge bonds and reassure America's allies that stability has returned in America. Learn how his presidency will affect India in our article “What does Joe Uncle’s Presidency mean to India?”
By Aditya Verma, Kaustav Bose.
