Biden Criticizes Trump in Jan. 6 Speech, Trump Responds

In an address marking the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, President Joe Biden said former President Donald Trump “created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election.”

“Those who stormed this Capitol and those who instigated and incited and those who called on them to do so held a dagger at the throat of America — at American democracy,” Biden said. Trump, who abruptly canceled his Jan. 6 news conference, released a statement that did not directly mention the Capitol riot. Trump criticized Biden, who he said was “destroying our Nation,” as well as the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which he referred to as the “the Unselect Committee of totally partisan political hacks.” Vice President Kamala Harris also gave a speech, saying, “I wonder, how will Jan. 6 will be remembered in the years ahead? Will it be remembered as a moment that accelerated the unraveling of the oldest, greatest democracy in the world, or a moment when we decided to secure and strengthen our democracy for generations to come?”

Many left-rated outlets prominently featured headlines including Biden’s “dagger at the throat of America” and “web of lies” quotes; the top section of the CNN (Left) homepage was entirely Jan. 6 coverage, featuring the overarching headline “The most powerful line from Biden's speech.” Right-rated outlets tended to more prominently feature Trump’s response and other criticisms of Biden’s speech; the Fox News (Right) homepage featured the headline, “Harris ripped for comparing Capitol riot to Pearl Harbor, 9/11 attacks.”