The assault on the Capitol sowed the seeds of great mistrust in the American electoral system, which, twelve months later, continues to exist. 70% of Republican voters believe that there was voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election and that Joe Biden is not a legitimate president. This trend of discrediting the system, “far from cracking, has gained strength,” says EL PAÍS, Washington correspondent, Amanda Mars, who narrates the chronicle in images of the assault on the Capitol in the video that accompanies this news.
Just half an hour after then-President Donald Trump’s speech from the White House in front of thousands of his followers, who he urged to “march to the Capitol to encourage our brave senators and congressmen [a no ratificar el resultado de las elecciones]”, The first protesters crowded in front of the doors of the Capitol. It was a matter of minutes before the crowd managed to make their way inside the building that houses the houses of representatives and the Senate, where at that moment Vice President Mike Pence presided over the session in which, ceremoniously, he would have to recognize Biden as president. elect. After the assault, the session was interrupted and what followed were four fateful hours in which, beyond picturesque images, five people lost their lives, both Trump supporters and police officers. The death of one of the protesters was even recorded live. At that time, Democratic and Republican congressmen and senators were praying together in an underground shelter of the building.
At dawn, a few hours after clearing the building of insurgents, Nancy Pelosi called the House of Representatives to resume the session, a symbolic act that wanted to reaffirm the muscle of the system and demonstrate the victory of order after a tense day of violence.