speeches

Biden Addresses Capitol Siege: ‘Trump, Step Up’

President-elect Joe Biden addressed Donald Trump directly in a speech on the current breach of the Capitol, telling the President to “step up.†“I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege,†Biden said in direct, impassioned speech, broadcast on TV news. “This is not dissent. It’s disorder,†Biden said, characterizing the scene at the Capitol. “It’s chaos. It borders on sedition. And it must end — now.†He called the siege, which took place as Congress was in the process of certifying the Electoral College vote in favor of Biden’s presidency, an “unprecedented assault, unlike anything we have seen in modern times†and an “insurrection.†Biden also directly addressed those at the Capitol, saying, “I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy go forward.â€

Trump, meanwhile, posted a minute-long video to Twitter shortly after Biden’s speech. Although the president called for “peace,†he began his comments by continuing to peddle the false conspiracy that the presidential election was “stolen,†and returned to it throughout his comments. Twitter has flagged the tweet for a “claim of election fraud,†and will not allow users to like, retweet, or reply “due to a risk of violence.â€

Biden Addresses Capitol Siege: ‘Trump, Step Up’