Riots and 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. At least 4 shot dead

On January 5–6, 2021, supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest against the result of the 2020 presidential election and support Trump's demand for Vice President Mike Pence and Congress to reject President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

 On the morning of January 6 (EST), protesters gathered for the "Save America" rally, a planned event on the Ellipse where attendees heard speeches from President Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Rudy Giuliani. The demonstration culminated in a riot, in which the United States Capitol Building was invaded by Trump supporters. The event occurred after numerous earlier attempts by Trump and his supporters to overturn the election results had failed.

During the initial rally, Trump encouraged his supporters to "fight like hell" and "take back our country", and asked his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol. Subsequently a pro-Trump mob marched on Congress and eventually stormed the building.

 Congress was in session at the time, conducting the Electoral College vote count and debating an objection to the Electoral College. Protesters broke past security to enter the Capitol, occupying the evacuated Senate chamber while guards drew handguns to prevent entry to the evacuated House floor. Several buildings in the U.S. Capitol complex were evacuated, and all buildings in the complex were subsequently locked down.

An intruder was shot by law enforcement during a standoff outside the House chamber and later died of her injuries; three others died as a result of medical emergencies throughout the day. Three improvised explosive devices were reported to have been found: one on Capitol grounds, and one each at the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee offices close to the Capitol.

In the early afternoon of January 6, Trump denounced Pence as failing to "do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution", despite Pence lacking authority to reject Biden's victory.

 At 4:22 p.m. EST, Trump told demonstrators to "go home in peace" while describing them as "patriots" and "very special", telling them that he "loved" them.

 That evening, Twitter placed a twelve-hour lock on Trump's Twitter account and removed three of his tweets for violations of their civic integrity policy after he made posts openly condoning supporters who stormed Congress.

The riots and storming of the Capitol have been described as insurrection, sedition, and domestic terrorism. Some sources have labeled it as an attempted coup d'état. The incident has been compared to the 1814 burning of Washington by the British during the War of 1812.

Aftermath

As police continued to try to push rioters away from the Capitol, protests continued, some moving out of the Capitol Hill area. Some verbal and physical attacks on reporters were reported, with attackers denigrating media outlets as "fake news".[53]

As of 6:08 p.m. EST, police had arrested at least thirteen people and seized five firearms during the day's events. Although Mayor Bowser had implemented a 6 p.m. curfew, it went largely ignored, and hundreds of pro-Trump demonstrators remained in the Capitol Hill area. As of 10:30 p.m., 47 more people had been arrested for curfew violations. At least six people were hospitalized for injuries related to the events of January 6, including one law enforcement officer. Fourteen Metropolitan Police Department officers were injured. Four people died; one was shot in the Capitol building by law enforcement, and three others died from medical emergencies.

It was reported that 2,700 troops of the Washington, D.C. National Guard and 650 troops of the Virginia National Guard would be sent to Washington, D.C., on the night of January 6. On the night of January 6, Mayor Bowser issued an order extending the public emergency in Washington, D.C. for 15 days, writing in the order that she expected some people would "continue their violent protests through the inauguration".

Reconvening of Congress

Congress reconvened after the Capitol was cleared, with the Senate resuming its session at 8 p.m. EST. on January 6, 2021. House Speaker Pelosi said that the attack on the Capitol would not "deter us from our responsibility to validate the election of Joe Biden" and that she made the decision to reconvene the same evening after consultations with other House leaders, the Pentagon, the Department of Justice, and Pence. Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the storming of the Capitol a "failed insurrection" and said "we are back at our posts, we will discharge our duty under the Constitution and for our nation. And we're going to do it tonight.