Editorial

An Explanation of the Violence on Capitol Hill

By Grace A. '21

About a month ago, on January 6th, an attack occurred that was unlike anything our generation has seen before: the Capitol Hill riots. After Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, he claimed voter fraud (which was later found to be a false claim) and encouraged his supporters to reject Joe Biden’s victory, which ultimately led to an attack on the Capitol in DC, as extremist Trump supporters took his message to heart and rebelled violently.

The event initially began as a “Save America” rally where Trump supporters gathered in Washington to protest the alleged election fraud and the removal of Trump from office. However, once Trump urged the crowd to “fight like hell,” thousands of protestors stormed the Capitol building, where a joint session was beginning a vote count to ensure Biden’s victory. The protestors eventually were able to force their way inside the building and resorted to violence, assaulting police officers and reporters and attempting to take lawmakers hostage. Rioters ransacked the empty Senate chamber while the police defended the House floor. Trump initially did not want to send the National Guard to stop the riots, addressing the rioters as “very special” and telling them to “go home in peace” in a Twitter video. However, the National Guard was eventually called on, and rioters were cleared out by the evening. Overall, the results of the riots included the death of a capitol police officer and four rioters, many injuries, and widespread disappointment in the state of the country. 

This attack on our country left many shocked and saddened by the astounding violence that occured in DC. Many Americans wondered what had possibly gone so wrong in our country to cause a vicious attack like this to occur. The answer to that is not simple, as many factors contributed to the violence. Since the beginning of Trump’s presidency, and even before, there has been extreme political division present in our country. Both Republicans and Democrats are unshakeable in their opinions, and have gradually grown to be more extreme in their beliefs. Riots, looting, and overall violence have more commonly become a means of communication in recent years, with many political movements resorting to these, including the riots in Minneapolis, and the white supremacy marches in Charlottesville. 

This year was unlike any other in terms of the election. Due to COVID-19, the number of mail-in ballots were greatly increased, and many people believed that these ballots were manipulated. In addition, the election appeared to be extremely close initially, and due to the format this year where we had to wait longer for results, Joe Biden’s victory seemed drawn out and anti-climactic. Because Trump had appeared to be in the lead for some time, this made it very difficult for some Republicans to accept his loss. 

Finally, Donald Trump seems to present himself in a way unlike any president this country has ever seen. No matter what your opinion of him is, it is clear that he tends to have a flair for the dramatic, and seems to be unable to accept defeat. His claims of election fraud were confirmed to be false, and his failure to accept the results made him appear to be a sore loser. Donald Trump was the first president in 150 years to not attend his successor’s scheduled inauguration, and he appeared to show no respect towards Biden through his constant criticism, refusal to attend his inauguration, and refusal to accept his victory in the election. This attitude led many of his supporters to hold Trump himself over America as a whole, which is arguably the main reason for the attempted insurrection. 

It is essential that we operate more cohesively and peacefully as a country, or rebellions like this will continue to occur. We must be retaught that violence is not the answer, and rebellions and riots are not the way to solve problems, but rather peaceful, intellectual conversations. In order to create progress in our country, it is essential that we come together as Americans and put an end to the divisiveness, radicalness, and violence in the US.