Joe Biden calls on Trump to demand an end to siege of U.S. Capitol

President-Elect Joe Biden has spoken about the attempted coup that is taking place by Trump supporters who have stormed the U.S. Capitol. President-Elect Biden was initially going to be speaking about the economy, however that had to be delayed due to the situation unfolding in Washington, D.C. Biden started by saying that the U.S. democracy was currently under an unprecedented assault and called on Trump to go on television and tell his supporters to stand down.

“At this hour, our democracy is under unprecedented assault,” Biden said. “An assault on the Capitol itself. An assault on the people’s representatives and the Capitol Hill police sworn to protect them. And the public servants who work at the heart of our republic. An assault on the most sacred of American undertakings, the doing of the people’s business. Let me be very clear, the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect a true America, do not represent who we are. What we are seeing are a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. This is not dissent — it’s disorder, it’s chaos. It borders on sedition, and it must end now. I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward.

“You’ve heard me say before in different contexts: The words of a president matter. No matter how good or bad that president is. At their best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can insight. Therefore I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfil his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege. To storm the Capitol, to smash windows, to occupy offices, the floor of the United States Senate, rummaging through desks. Threatening the safety of duly elected officials. It’s not protest, it’s insurrection. The world’s watching. Like so many other Americans, I am shocked and saddened, that our nation, so long the beacon of light and hope for democracy, has come to such a dark moment. Through war and strife, America’s endured much and we will endure here and we will prevail again and we’ll prevail now. The work of the moment and the work of the next four years must be the restoration of democracy. Of decency, honour, respect, the rule of law. Not stoking the flames of hate and chaos. Just plain, simple decency. America is about honour, decency and respect.”

President-elect Biden addresses the nation: https://t.co/BXM3SZK25R

— Biden-Harris Presidential Transition (@Transition46) January 6, 2021

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