True: Donald Trump incited violence at the Capitol riots.

By: Rashmi S
December 14 2021

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Trump made a number of inflammatory and false remarks on January 6. He was charged with inciting violence but was acquitted.Former President Donald Trump's "Save America" rally was held on January 6 in Washington, D.C. At around the same time, Trump and several Republican Congress members were repeating unfounded claims about election fraud. Trump told the crowds: "We won this election, and we won it by a landslide." He also said: "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore." Moreover, he encouraged his followers to walk down Capitol Hill to prevent Congress from confirming the election of "an illegitimate president." Trump's social media accounts were also banned or restricted, as the platforms warned that the statements glorified violence and contained false information. Trump is the first U.S. president to be impeached twice. Most recently, he was charged with "incitement to insurrection." The House of Representatives accused President Trump of inciting violence with false claims of election fraud. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an address to the Senate on January 19, said, "The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people. And they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government, which they did not like." Trump was acquitted from charges. He will be the only impeached President to seek re-election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Trump remains "an ongoing threat to American democracy." In a BBC article, Professor Epps notes that inciting violence is not a constitutional crime unless it meets certain criteria, including imminent action. Epps said that supporters stormed the Capitol moments after the speech. "He clearly knew there were people in that crowd who were ready to and intended to be violent, and he certainly did nothing to discourage that. He not only did nothing to discourage it, he strongly hinted it should happen." While Trump may not have been guilty from a legal standpoint, it's clear that Trump's remarks were inflammatory, and that the Capitol riots occurred shortly after his speech. As such we have marked the claim as true.