President Joe Biden called on Americans to remember the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack in a Washington Post op-ed published Sunday, emphasizing the nation’s duty to preserve the truth about that day.
“We must remember the wisdom of the adage that any nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it,” Biden wrote. He vowed that the upcoming certification of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential victory would proceed peacefully, unlike four years ago when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to block the certification of Biden’s 2020 win.
Biden has frequently portrayed Trump as a threat to democracy, pointing to his refusal to accept the 2020 election results. Though Biden launched his re-election campaign centered on defending democracy, he stepped aside in July due to concerns about his age. Kamala Harris, now leading the Democratic ticket, has echoed Biden’s warnings about Trump.
Trump, set to begin a second non-consecutive term in two weeks, continues to reject the legitimacy of his 2020 loss and has spread false narratives about Jan. 6. He has also pledged to pardon individuals convicted for crimes related to the attack, many involving assaults on law enforcement.
“An unrelenting effort has been underway to rewrite—even erase—the history of that day,” Biden wrote. “We cannot allow the truth to be lost.”
Biden stressed the importance of passing the truth about Jan. 6 to future generations through historical records and firsthand accounts, warning against the dangers of forgetting the past.
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