Biden commemorates Jan. 6 two years later with first Presidential Citizens Medals

President Joe Biden commemorated the second anniversary of Jan. 6 Friday with a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, where he decried the violence carried out by rioters who attacked the Capitol and "lies about the 2020 election" voiced by former President Donald Trump and his allies.

Biden has made framing the Trump-era GOP as a threat to democracy as a major campaign theme both for Democrats in the midterm elections and his own likely reelection bid.

The president also awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation's second-highest civilian honor, to the following 14 "heroes" for their roles on Jan. 6 and in upholding the results of the 2020 election. Friday's ceremony marked the first time Biden had awarded the Citizens Medal.

"Folks, these people and the people representing them, what they did is incredibly consequential," Biden declared. "That's not political. That's historical fact."

After acknowledging each of the recipients at Friday's ceremony, Biden specifically took a minute to recognize the Capitol police officers who died after the riot.

"For all the families who lost someone, my heart aches for you," he stated. "And I want to thank you for having the courage to be here today."