US President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged the protesters demonstrating on Capitol Hill to disperse.
“I know you’re in pain, I know you’re hurt, we had an election stolen from us, it was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side, but you have to go home now. We have to have peace, we have to have law and order, we have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt,” he said in a short video that was posted to his Twitter account.
“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. I know how you feel, but go home and go home in peace,” added Trump.
Trump’s video was posted shortly after President-elect Joe Biden called on him to act to end the violence on the Capitol.
“The scenes we are seeing at the Capitol do not represent who we are, they are a small number of extremists. I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward,” said Biden.
“The words of a president matter. At their best, they can inspire. At worst, they can incite. I call on Trump to go on TV now and defend the Constitution, and demand an end to this siege," he added.