Democrat prosecutors led rapt Senators on a harrowing retelling of the terror that engulfed the Capitol last month, sharing shocking new audio and video recordings of rioters declaring their intent to harm Vice President Mike Pence and other top officials – and showing how close they came to doing so.

Donald Trump’s team took a backseat on the second day of his Senate trial on a charge of inciting an insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, as prosecutors starting setting out their case.

The third day of the trial starts at noon on Thursday in Washington (4am Friday AEDT), when prosecutors will continue presenting evidence. Trump’s side will then present his defence.

Follow our live blog at afr.com.

Here are the key points from day two:

• The granular dissection of the Capitol riot included previously unseen video of the mob, including chants of “hang” Mike Pence and a sinister clip of a man looking for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking, “Naaaancy? Where aaaare you, Nancy?”
• In their presentations, prosecutors juxtaposed the video with Trump’s real-time response - or lack of it, they alleged - in tweets and videos posted online.
• Republican Senators were gripped by the presentation, but there was little sign Democrats were winning more of the 17 GOP votes they need to convict Trump. Lindsay Graham, a close Trump ally, reportedly told him acquittal is a “done deal”.
• Trump’s legal team took a backseat as prosecutors took their turn first presenting their case. Bruce Castor, a Trump lawyer whose opening statement on Tuesday was widely criticised as unfoccused and meandering, said the former president had not expressed any displeasure with it.
• A stream of Trump-associated tweets suggest the defence strategy includes showing Democrats used the same sort of language he used in a speech that allegedly inflamed the mob.