SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 10 October 2024, Thursday |

Biden to speak ‘truth’ on Jan 6 anniversary; Trump cancels event

President Joe Biden will mark the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s followers’ deadly Jan. 6 assault on the United States Capitol with a speech on Thursday warning of the threats to democracy, while Trump canceled plans for a news conference that day as he renewed his attacks on Democrats and the media.

The White House said Biden will respond to Trump’s erroneous assertions, which many of his supporters have accepted, that his election defeat was the product of widespread fraud, as well as attempts to minimize the savagery of the bloodiest attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812.

“The president is going to speak to the truth of what happened, not the lies that some have spread since, and the danger it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday, providing the first glimpse of Biden’s remarks.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will speak at the United States Capitol on Thursday morning, one year after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the complex in a failed attempt to halt the counting of Electoral College votes by lawmakers, which officially delivered the Democratic president’s election victory.

Trump postponed a press conference set for Jan. 6 at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, saying he would address many of the same themes at an Arizona rally on Jan. 15.

It remained unclear why Trump canceled the press conference, which had been scheduled for Dec. 21.

In a statement, Trump slammed the House of Representatives’ Jan. 6 investigation for its “bias and dishonesty,” as well as the news media, a favorite target.

The anniversary falls on the same day as Trump continues to battle the release of White House records sought by the House committee investigating the attack.

Trump, certain Republican colleagues, and right-wing media figures have promoted bogus narratives to minimize the Jan. 6 attack, claiming it was a nonviolent rally or blaming left-wing protestors.

Four individuals were killed on the day of the violence, and one Capitol police officer was killed the next day after protecting Congress. Dozens of police officers were injured during the multi-hour assault by Trump supporters, and four cops have subsequently committed suicide.

Psaki was asked what the president’s message will be to the many Republicans who feel Biden stole Trump’s election, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

“He’s going to talk to everyone in the country.” Those who didn’t vote for him, those who may not believe he is the legitimate president, about what he wants to make their lives better,” she said.

The White House is battling in the United States Senate to pass voting rights legislation that would offset new regulations in Republican-led states that Democrats claim will limit left-leaning voters. According to two sources, Biden and Harris do not intend to use the Jan. 6 event to advocate for voting rights legislation.

    Source:
  • Reuters