On January 6, there was a storming of the United States Capitol with riots and violence against Congress in an attempt to overturn the defeat of Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. 

Hundreds of pro-Trump extremists gathered on the steps of the Capitol building while a limited amount of police were trying to keep them from entering. Rioters were eventually able to enter the building, forcing it to go in a lockdown to protect the members of Congress.

Congressman Jason Crow explained that he was trapped in the House Gallery and the only form of defense he could find was a pen. Gas masks were distributed and they all had to barricade the doors so there was less of a chance of rioters coming in. 

Supporters of the president swarmed into the Capitol with Trump flags shouting, “Stop the Steal!” They then later scattered all around the building continuing to yell their pro-Trump chants. Photos from the event show that one man broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and left a note in writing saying, “We will not back down!”

Rioters began to bang on the doors of the House gallery in which the lawmakers were located, leaving many scared and helpless. Police officers inside this room were armed and pointing their weapons at the door in case of a break in. After some time had passed, the Capitol Police and SWAT team were on a rescue mission to lead the lawmakers out of the gallery into a secure location. 

President Trump was hesitant to send out the National Guard to calm the mob down, but it was ultimately Vice President Mike Pence who was the one to send them out. 

There were five deaths from this event and police are continuing to arrest the people involved by using facial recognition from photos and videos. In addition to this, there have been FBI tiplines that thousands of people have used to share details about the rioters in order to make more arrests. 

After the riots, Vice President Mike Pence seemed to be very angered by the whole situation and did not support what the rioters were doing at all. He said in a press conference, “To those who wreaked havoc in our capital today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins. And this is still the people’s house.”

There had been pressure from Democrats for Pence to enact the 25th Amendment, which states that the Vice President can take the President out of office if he is unfit to run the country. However, he has not enacted that amendment and President Trump has remained in office for the time being. 

During the riots, President Trump took to Twitter to share his emotions about his supporters breaking into the Capitol. Trump said in a video on Twitter, “So go home. We love you, you’re very special.” 

This comment from the president brought on a lot of controversy to many citizens of the country. The video, along with other previous accusations of fraud within the election, brought on the idea to people that the President supported this act of violence and was the reason it happened. 

According to CNN Politics, “Democrats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday evening released the final text of their resolution to impeach President Donald Trump, charging him with ‘incitement of insurrection.’”

Many Democrats would like to see President Trump impeached, but it may be highly unlikely due to the upcoming Inauguration Day of President-Elect Joe Biden. Though the President’s run is coming to an end, legislators are still pushing for the Senate to convict him so that he cannot run again in 2024.

Either way, people across the country would like to see a leader that can run the nation in an efficient manner.