Timeline: Trump, Jan 6 Afternoon
Donald Trump’s clearest misbehavior came on the afternoon of January 6, 2023, when he watched his followers attack the United States Capitol for nearly three hours before he told them to go home. An infographic shows the timeline:
Trump was informed of the rioting at 1:20pm, after which he settled into the White House dining room to watch the riot on TV. During that time, his closest advisors were frantically trying to get him to go on television and tell the rioters to leave the Capitol. He could have done this, but he didn’t, apparently because he did not want to.
Instead, he added fuel to the fire by tweeting against Mike Pence after reports of rioters chanting “Hang Mike Pence”. He made two statements on Twitter asking his followers to remain peaceful, but Trump boosters such as Don Jr. and Sean Hannity told him that these were not strong enough.
Did Trump know what was going on? Aside from the fact that everyone in the country could see it unfolding on television, Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy pleaded with him for help, telling him staff was running for their lives. Instead, Trump called Congressmen to lobby for their votes to block certification of Biden’s victory. Trump was using mob violence to pressure Congress to overturn the election.
Finally, at 4:17, after it was clear that the rioters would not be able to stop the certification, Trump broadcast a video telling them to go home. After hearing from their leader, that’s exactly what the rioters did.
News reports that week already showed what had happened, but later the House of Representatives inquiry into January 6 compiled further proof from text messages to Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and testimony of Trump administration officials who were in the White House with Trump on January 6.
In the timeline, quotes are arranged at approximately the time at which they occurred. Some of the people mentioned in timeline include Pat Cipollone (Trump’s White House Counsel), and Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Mark Meadows. These were not “Never Trumpers,” but conservatives who remained loyal to Trump even after he started telling lies about the 2020 election. Other Trump allies who urged him that afternoon to stop the riot include former chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), and White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah Griffin.
Another timeline, more detailed but text-only, can be found in the Washington Post Fact Checker column.
Top image from NPR Story on January 6 Hearings.