january 6 united states capitol attack

The January 6, 2021, United States Capitol attack was a violent insurrection and riot that occurred when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol building in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. The attack was a culmination of months of false claims by Trump and his allies that the election was stolen and fraudulent.

On January 6, 2021, a joint session of Congress was meeting to certify the electoral college results, which had declared Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election. In the hours leading up to the session, Trump held a rally near the White House where he repeated his false claims of election fraud and urged his supporters to march to the Capitol. He also told them, "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."

Must read -: supreme court of united states

After Trump's rally, thousands of his supporters marched to the Capitol building and breached police barriers, clashing with law enforcement officers. The mob broke windows, vandalized offices, and ransacked the building. The Capitol was placed on lockdown, and members of Congress were forced to evacuate.


The attack resulted in the deaths of several people, including a Capitol police officer. More than 100 other law enforcement officers were injured in the violence. The attack also led to the disruption of the certification process and delayed the electoral college vote count for several hours.


The attack was widely condemned by political leaders from both parties, as well as by international leaders. President Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for his role in inciting the attack, but was acquitted by the Senate. The attack also led to increased security measures at the Capitol and a renewed focus on addressing political polarization and extremism in the United States.