Today marks the fifth anniversary of January 6, a date that’s permanently etched into American history. As the country reflects on what unfolded at the U.S. Capitol, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is once again calling out what she describes as deliberate inaction from Donald Trump during the violent insurrection.
Speaking on January 6, Pelosi addressed ongoing claims made by Trump about that day, pushing back hard against his repeated assertions that leadership failed to request support from the National Guard. According to Pelosi, that narrative is not just false — it’s offensive.
“Today, that president who incited that insurrection, continues to lie about what happened that day…I saw on TV that he was claiming that we did not ask for the National Guard…For over three hours we begged him to send the National Guard! He never did it. He took joy in not doing. He was savoring it…What he’s saying today is an insult to the American people.”
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Five years later, the political divide around January 6 remains sharp, with Trump continuing to downplay the violence while his critics insist accountability is still unresolved. Pelosi however, is still letting it be known that Trump is responsible for the chaos and tragedy that day.
Remembering What Happened:
On January 6, 2021, a joint session of Congress was meeting at the United States Capitol to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. That process is usually boring, procedural, and over in a few hours. This time, it wasn’t.
Earlier that day, Donald Trump held a rally near the White House, where he repeated false claims that the election had been stolen and urged supporters to go to the Capitol. As Congress began counting electoral votes, thousands of protesters moved toward the building. What started as a demonstration quickly escalated.
Crowds breached police barricades, overwhelmed Capitol Police, smashed windows, and forced their way inside the Capitol. Lawmakers were rushed into secure locations. Some hid under desks. Others were evacuated through underground tunnels. The certification process was halted for hours. Five people died in connection with the events of that day, including a Capitol Police officer, and more than 140 officers were injured.
During the chaos, repeated requests were made for federal assistance, including the National Guard. According to congressional leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, those requests were not immediately approved. The National Guard was eventually deployed, but only after the Capitol had already been overrun and significant damage had been done.
By the evening, once the building was secured, Congress reconvened and finished certifying the election, officially confirming Joe Biden as president. In the days and years that followed, hundreds of people were arrested and charged for their roles in the attack, ranging from trespassing to assault and seditious conspiracy.
January 6 is now widely described as the first time in modern U.S. history that the peaceful transfer of presidential power was violently disrupted. Five years later, it remains one of the most polarizing and consequential days in American politics, with sharp disagreement over responsibility, accountability, and how the day should be remembered.