Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with former President Trump on Jan. 6, 2021. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
One year ago today, a pro-Trump mob stormed police barricades and invaded the U.S. Capitol, where lawmakers had convened to certify the results of President Biden's Electoral College victory.
It was a shocking, violent and historic day. Here's how it all unfolded:
8 a.m.:
Then-President Trump on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, posts a series of tweets asking then-Vice President Mike Pence to not certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.
- "States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval. All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!" Trump writes at 8:17 a.m.
11 a.m.:
- Trump supporters gather near the White House for the "Stop the Steal" rally, where they wait for Trump to deliver remarks.
12 p.m.:
- Trump speaks at the Stop the Steal rally, where he makes false claims about the election being stolen and tells the crowd to "never give up." Trump's speech lasts for around an hour.
1 p.m.:
- At around 1:05 p.m., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi presides over the Electoral College vote certification for Biden during a joint session of Congress at the Capitol.
- At 1:10 p.m., Trump tells his supporters at the end of his speech, "we're going to the Capitol" to give "our Republicans … the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country."
- At 1:12 p.m., Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) object to the certification of the electoral votes for the state of Arizona. The joint session separates so that each chamber can debate the objection.
- At 1:30 p.m., the crowd of Trump supporters around the Capitol continues to grow. Police lines attempt to fight them off.
2 p.m.:
- At 2:15 p.m., the mob of Trump supporters breaches the Capitol.
- At 2:20 p.m., members of Congress start to evacuate the chamber. Some lawmakers and staffers barricade themselves or hide in place.
- As rioters storm the Capitol, U.S. Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman directs Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) to safety.
3 p.m.:
- Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter, is shot by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd — who has since been cleared of any wrongdoing — as she attempts to force her way through a broken window into the Speaker's Lobby located just off the House chamber floor.
4 p.m.:
- Biden in a speech urges Trump to "demand an end to this siege," adding that democracy is under "unprecedented assault, unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times."
- At around 4:15 p.m., Trump posts a video on Twitter telling his supporters to "go home, we love you."
- Maryland and Virginia send National Guard and troops to Washington, D.C., around 4:15 p.m. “I have instructed the Adjutant General of the @MDNG to call up a rapid response force to support law enforcement and restore order,” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan writes in a tweet.
5 p.m.:
- At around 5:40 p.m., law enforcement clear rioters from the Capitol and secure the building's interior. Police seek to move the mob away from the Capitol.
- Lawmakers call for the electoral vote count to resume.
- Law enforcement announce that Ashli Babbitt has died at around 5:45 p.m. Babbitt was one of five people who died as a result of the violence.
6 p.m.:
- As night descends on Washington, a citywide curfew goes into effect at 6 p.m., lasting until 6 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2021.
- Just after 6 p.m., Trump tweets: "These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!"
8 p.m.:
- At around 8 p.m., Pence reopens the Senate, telling lawmakers, “Let’s get back to work,” adding, “Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol.”
- McConnell echoes Pence’s sentiment saying, “We’ve never been deterred before, and we’ll not be deterred today.”
9 p.m.:
- Pelosi reconvenes the House, more than six hours after the pro-Trump mob disrupted the Electoral College vote certification. "Justice will be done," Pelosi says.
3 a.m., on Jan. 7, 2021:
- At 3:42 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2021, Pence maintains the 2020 election results, officially declaring Biden the president-elect.
- “The announcement of the state of the vote by the president of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration as persons elected president and vice president of the United States,” Pence said.
Go deeper: Trump mob overruns Capitol
- National Guard, state and federal police deployed as mob breaches U.S. Capitol
- Biden calls on Trump to condemn mob violence at U.S. Capitol
- Trump tells mob to “go home now” after it stormed U.S. Capitol
- In photos: Protesters storm U.S. Capitol
- Republicans object to Electoral College certification
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