Donald Trump delivered a rebuke of the violence that rocked the US Capitol and issued a call for unity as he prepares to leave the White House, in a video message released after he was impeached for the second time, President
“I want to be very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week. Violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country and no place in our movement,” Trump said after a mob of his supporters stormed Congress in a riot that killed five people.
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The message, released on YouTube after Facebook and Twitter banned Trump in the wake of the deadly riots
Sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, the commander in chief said he was “shocked and deeply saddened by the calamity at the Capitol last week.”
“Making America great again has always been about defending the rule of law, supporting the men and women of law enforcement, and upholding our nations’ most sacred traditions and values. Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for. No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence,” he said.
The five-minute video was released less than an hour after the House voted to impeach Trump on the charge he incited an insurrection making him the first US president to be impeached twice.
Appearing to heed McCarthy’s counsel, Trump said he had been briefed on new threats of violence as Biden prepares to take the oath of office, and warned his supporters against further uprisings.
“There must be no violence, no law-breaking, and no vandalism of any kind. Everyone must follow our laws and obey the instructions of law enforcement,” Trump warned.
“We must focus on advancing the interests of the whole nation: delivering the miracle vaccines, defeating the pandemic, rebuilding the economy, protecting our national security, and upholding the rule of law,” Trump said.
“Let us choose to move forward unified, for the good of our families, our communities, and our country,” he continued.
Trump also warned against an “unprecedented assault on free speech” after Twitter and Facebook took the unprecedented step of locking his accounts until at least the end of his term.
Trump made no mention of the historic proceedings against him, which 10 Republican lawmakers voted in favor of.
It’s expected he may release another video on Wednesday night responding to the charges.
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