On Wed. Jan. 6, the nation witnessed an unprecedented breach in the democratic system. For the first time in American history, supporters of the losing presidential candidate forcibly disrupted the official counting of electoral votes. The last time a successful coup in the united states took place was the 1898 Wilmington insurrection, in which a fusionist government in North Carolina was overthrown by Jim-Crow era white supremacists.
Following the election of President-Elect, Joe Biden, a mob of pro-trump citizens stormed the U.S capitol building as congress formally counted the electoral college votes. Earlier in the day, Donald Trump hosted a “Save America” rally where he encouraged thousands of his supporters to demand the overthrowing of the election results by marching to the capitol in protest.
Four people died, and 14 D.C police officers were injured during the riot. Four hours into the riot, Trump tweeted for rioters to leave the premises in a pre-recorded message, and Biden was sworn in early the morning of Jan. 7.