Outgoing US President Donald Trump, who is facing the prospect of an unprecedented second impeachment following the storming of the US Capitol last week, on Tuesday denied that he had any role to play in inciting the violence.
“We want no violence,” he told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Texas to visit a section of the border wall, adding: “Never violence, absolutely no violence.”
Trump condemned the Democrats’ latest effort to impeach him as “continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics”, the BBC reported. “I think it’s causing tremendous danger to this country and it’s causing tremendous anger,” he added.
With only eight days left in his one-term administration, Trump finds himself alone, shunned by former supporters, barred by social media, and now facing a second impeachment over his instigation of a riot against Congress on 6 January.
Speaking to reporters at the Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland before his flight, Trump again sought to refute the charge that his speech at a rally of supporters had caused the attack on the Capitol when a joint session was underway to certify the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
“If you read my speech—and many people have done it and I’ve seen it both in the papers and in the media on television – it’s been analysed and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate,” he said.
Trump also claimed that “other people”, including “politicians at a high level”, have said that the Black Lives Matter protests and riots last year after the death of George Floyd in police custody were a bigger problem than the Washington incident.
He also alleged that his suspension from social media platforms was causing “anger”.
Meanwhile, Vice President Michael Pence—reportedly furious about Trump’s behaviour last week—met the outgoing President at the White House on Monday for the first time since the Congress attack and had “a good conversation,” according to a senior administration official. That signaled that whatever Pence and the dwindling number of White House officials feel, they are committed to keeping the presidency limping along until 20 January.