Trump has a bruised ego: Biden slams predecessor in scathing Jan 6 address

US President Joe Biden, in a speech to mark the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, launched a scathing attack on former President Donald Trump.

Commenting on the actions of Trump, President Biden said, “We must be absolutely clear about what is true and what is a lie. And here is the truth: The former President of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. His bruised ego matters more to him than our … Constitution.”

Also read | We, the people, endured: US President Joe Biden in January 6 address

“We saw with our own eyes rioters menace these halls, threaten the life of the Speaker of the House. What did we not see? We didn’t see a former President … watching it all on television and doing nothing for hours,” the President continued, levelling his guns at Trump.

The President went on to highlight the web of lies that culminated in the attack on the Capitol, saying, “Second big lie … is that the results of the election of 2020 can’t be trusted.” President Biden reminded Americans that despite recounts in several states, Trump stuck to his lie about Democrats ‘stealing’ the elections.

Also read | Jan 6 reflects the dual nature of democracy– the fragility and strength: Kamala Harris

Hitting out at the self-proclaimed ‘patriotism’ of the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol, President Biden said, “You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t be patriotic when you embrace and enable lies. Those who stormed this Capitol … held a dagger at the throat of America and American democracy. They came here enraged, not in service of America.”

Reminding Americans of their duty to the nation, President Biden said, “Now it’s up to all of us … to stand for the rule of law. To preserve the flame of democracy. To keep the promise of America alive.”

Also read | Democracy won on January 6: Nancy Pelosi on Capitol riots

The President also commemorated the officers and workers who gave their lives or were injured while defending the Capitol from the rioters, and ended his speech with a reminder about what America stands for. “Here in America, the people rule through the ballot. So let us remember together we’re one nation, under God, indivisible. That today, tomorrow, and forever at our best we are the United States of America,” concluded the President.