As a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday, President Donald Trump defended the insurrectionists to White House aides, an administration official told The Washington Post.
"He kept saying ... My people are peaceful. My people aren't thugs," the unnamed official said, adding that Trump did not want to say anything about the ransacking.
According to The Post, aides were astonished at Trump's slow and unwilling response to the violence, with one calling the president "total monster."
While aides eventually persuaded Trump to record a video, he reportedly went against their wishes and ad-libbed sections of the speech, continuing to push the false claim that he won the 2020 election.
Aide describes the president as a 'total monster' who refused to act as Congress was stormed
"He kept saying ... My people are peaceful. My people aren't thugs," the unnamed official said, adding that Trump did not want to say anything about the ransacking.
According to The Post, aides were astonished at Trump's slow and unwilling response to the violence, with one calling the president "total monster."
While aides eventually persuaded Trump to record a video, he reportedly went against their wishes and ad-libbed sections of the speech, continuing to push the false claim that he won the 2020 election.
Aide describes the president as a 'total monster' who refused to act as Congress was stormed
In the video, Trump told his supporters: "This was a fraudulent election, but we can't play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you; you're very special."
That video has since gotten him temporarily locked out of Twitter.
Twitter said Trump had removed the tweets that led to his suspension from the platform, and the president will get his account back after a 12-hour block.
That video has since gotten him temporarily locked out of Twitter.
Twitter said Trump had removed the tweets that led to his suspension from the platform, and the president will get his account back after a 12-hour block.
