Former President Donald Trump claimed in Tuesday’s presidential debate that he had nothing to do with the Jan. 6 riot by his supporters that aimed to stop the counting of electoral ballots that formally elected Joe Biden as president in 2021. Instead, he falsely blamed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech. I showed up for a speech. I said, ‘I think it’s gonna be big,’” Trump said during the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump was responding to a question from moderator David Muir, who asked him whether he had any regrets about that day.
Many of the Trump supporters who participated in the Jan. 6 riot had come directly from a rally where the former president urged them to march toward the Capitol. Some supporters forced their way into the building in a bid to stop the counting of ballots and engaged in violent confrontations with police.
Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.
Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6
Follow us:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews
X: https://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newshour
Facebook: https://www.pbs.org/newshour
