August M
The White House has launched a new website that dramatically reframes one of the most violent days in modern US political history. The move has reignited debate over how the events of January 6, 2021, are remembered and who is held responsible.
The site presents a version of events sharply at odds with years of investigations, court rulings and video evidence.
Recasting history
According to CNN, the new White House website portrays the pro-Trump mob that stormed the US Capitol as “peaceful protesters” who were provoked by law enforcement. It claims the violence was instigated by police and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while depicting President Donald Trump as a central victim of the aftermath.
The site also celebrates Trump’s decision to pardon nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the attack, presenting the move as a correction of a “historic wrong.”
Election falsehoods
A core theme of the website is Trump’s long-running and false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.
CNN reported that these claims, repeatedly debunked before January 6, are presented as fact and used to justify efforts to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory.
White House communications director Steven Cheung suggested on X that the website was intended as a “trap” to provoke media outrage. CNN has previously reported on the administration’s use of the official website to antagonize critics.
Selective timeline
The site includes a curated “timeline” describing Trump’s January 6 speech as laying out “evidence of election fraud” and urging supporters to protest peacefully. It omits Trump’s calls to “fight like hell” and downplays the violence that followed.
CNN noted that the timeline ignores footage of rioters assaulting police and breaching the Capitol. Instead, it accuses the US Capitol Police of “deliberately escalating tensions,” despite extensive video showing officers were attacked first.
Blame and denial
The website claims that Trump supporters who died of natural causes that day were “killed” and asserts that “zero law enforcement officers lost their lives.” CNN reported that Officer Brian Sicknick died after suffering strokes following his assault during the attack, and four other officers later died by suicide.
The site also attacks former Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to block certification of the election, a move legal experts across the political spectrum have said would have been unconstitutional.
Pelosi rejected the site’s claims, calling January 6 “an attempted coup” and saying: “January 6th was not an aberration and it was not spontaneous.”
Pardons defended
Trump’s mass pardons are framed on the site as justice served, with all recipients labeled “patriotic Americans.” CNN reported that the group includes people convicted of violently attacking police and members of extremist organizations.
Sources: CNN
