Trump Loyalists Plan Pro-MAGA Counterprogramming On January 6th Anniversary, But Some GOP Won’t Participate

Top Republicans are expressing their concerns after Donald Trump announced his plan to deliver a speech on the one-year anniversary of the January 6th Capitol riot. Trump will use the somber occasion to not remember the violence of the day, but to reiterate his baseless claims that Democrats engaged in a widespread campaign of voter fraud to steal the 2020 election.

While there are several official events scheduled, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris delivering remarks, it’s obvious Trump’s speech is purely an attention grab to distract from the truth regarding the events of the day, which is becoming increasingly difficult for him and his supporters as the House Select Committee shares more information they’ve uncovered about the vast amount of planning by Trump and his inner circle.

But not everyone is on board. Republican Senators Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Pat Toomey (Pa.), John Cornyn (Texas), Tim Scott (S.C.), and John Thune (S.D.) all either declined to comment on the upcoming speech or said it would be an unwelcome distraction from more important issues. Alyssa Farah, who served as director of strategic communications for the Trump administration, told CNN Sunday that Jan. 6 would be “a wise day for [Trump] to stay silent. And Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the Vice Chair of the Select Committee, said Sunday on “Face the Nation” that Trump’s announcement was “very concerning” but “not surprising” that Trump would continue to repeat claims that “caused violence.”

The Republican Party has to make a choice.

We can either be loyal to our Constitution or loyal to Donald Trump, but we cannot be both. pic.twitter.com/pDg8Lb3rzy

— Rep. Liz Cheney (@RepLizCheney) January 2, 2022

While there’s plenty of available footage to the contrary, Trump’s allies will still spend Thursday spinning the events of January 6th. Trump’s former senior adviser, Steve Bannon, is free on bond until his trial for contempt charges in July and has his own plans to commemorate the attack on the Capitol he’s accused of helping to plan. Bannon told Axios that on Thursday morning, he’ll host a special edition of his podcast “WarRoom” featuring two of Trump’s most zealous supporters — Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Bannon said he’ll also host Darren Beattie, a major character in the incendiary documentary Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson produced about the Capitol riot.

Trump’s speech was announced in a December 21st statement posted on his official website and shared on Twitter by his spokesperson, Liz Harrington. “Why isn’t the Unselect Committee of highly partisan political hacks investigating the CAUSE of the January 6th protest, which was the rigged Presidential Election of 2020?” Trump wrote. “I will be having a news conference on January 6th at Mar-a-Lago to discuss all of these points, and more. Until then, remember, the insurrection took place on November 3rd.”

No legit. news outlet should cover Trump speech live or put it on the front page/top of the news. And coverage must reiterate he has been lying for over a year.

— Jennifer 'pro-voting' Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) January 3, 2022

While Trump has issued many statements attacking the House Select Committee, he hasn’t held an event designed entirely to defend and legitimize January 6th until now. Trump will hold a press conference at 5 pm EST on Thursday at Mar-a-Lago, where he’s expected to attack the bipartisan select committee and call the investigation a “witch hunt” while embracing the protests of January 6th as “a legitimate reaction to a ‘stolen’ election on Nov. 3, 2020.”

Let’s say this ONE MORE TIME for the kids in the cheap seats…

The first Ammendment DOES NOT prohibit private companies and employers from restricting speech.

Donald Trump spent alotta years in NYC- time to understand the Twitter bouncers won’t let him into their nightclub pic.twitter.com/2WosIrdHfp

See Also

Appeals Court Temporarily Blocks Jan 6th Committee From Obtaining Trump’s WH Documents

— Stephanie Ruhle (@SRuhle) January 4, 2022

Asked whether Trump would claim the riot was not violent and blame it on Antifa and the FBI, the source told Axios they were “sure that will be a component.”

Hey, if MAGA is going to rewrite the history of January 6th, so are we 🤨 #DonaldTrumpLovesAntifa https://t.co/3kaRaTUn7b

— Tara Dublin, Untapped Writing Goldmine #SignTara (@taradublinrocks) January 4, 2022

“To President Biden, January 6th was one of the darkest days in our democracy,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in December. “It was a day that our nation’s Capitol was under attack. And I think there’s no question you’ll see us commemorate that day.”