Trump rallies supporters in Iowa on Capitol riot anniversary

The former president hits campaign trail in the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating state of Iowa, vowing to win ‘for the third time’

Donald Trump revs up supporters in Newton, Iowa, on Saturday. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump hit the campaign trail at the weekend in the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating state of Iowa, vowing to win “for the third time” as Americans marked the anniversary of the deadly assault on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters.

Many watched in horror three years ago, on January 6, 2021, as Trump supporters stormed the seat of US democracy in a bid to halt the transfer of power.

Mr Trump’s speech came a day after President Joe Biden offered blistering criticism of Mr Trump.

In his speech on Friday near Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, Mr Biden framed the election as a test of the robustness of the republic and highlighted the Capitol riot as a demonstration of Mr Trump’s threat to democracy. And he accused his predecessor of echoing Nazis with his rhetoric on immigration, accusing him of being willing to “sacrifice our democracy” to regain power.

In a rambling, two-hour speech at the weekend to supporters in Newton, Iowa, Mr Trump did not delve into the events of that day, but described those jailed over their roles in the assault as “hostages”. He has said that if elected, he will pardon many.

Mr Trump mocked Mr Biden, saying the President has overseen economic decline and invited chaos at the nation’s borders, while failing to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “I would’ve absolutely stopped Putin,” he said.

Mr Trump warned of World War III if Mr Biden is re-elected, adding, “This is our last chance to save America.”

Never having given up on the fiction that he won the 2020 election, Mr Trump declared that in November he will win “for the third time”. The runaway leader in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Mr Trump was impeached for inciting insurrection and faces multiple criminal charges over his conduct leading up to and during the riot.

Mr Trump leads Republican rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis by more than 30 percentage points in Iowa, which stages its Republican nominating contest – known as a “caucus” – on January 15, kicking off the 2024 primary season.

Mr Trump has described January 6 as “a beautiful day” and has made the “great patriots” and “hostages” imprisoned over the riot a cause celebre. The false claim that Democratic election theft led to January 6 has become orthodoxy among many Republicans, with hardliners in congress promoting the fantasy that the chaos at the Capitol was a “false flag” operation by federal agents.

A Washington Post/University of Maryland poll released on Thursday found that 44 per cent of Trump voters believe the FBI organised and encouraged the riot.

But polls also show that Democrats and independents hold strongly negative views of the riot and the rioters, and of Mr Trump’s role in encouraging them.

“We will never forget the horrific events of January 6, 2021,” Democrat House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Saturday, adding that those responsible “must be held accountable, because in this country no one is above the law”. Vice-President Kamala Harris said on social media that a victory by those “who seek to dismantle our democracy” would bring violence and chaos.

The House, controlled at the time by the Democrats, impeached Mr Trump for inciting the violence, which was linked to the deaths of five police officers and several rioters, although he was acquitted by allies in the Senate and denies all wrongdoing.

A later congressional investigation concluded the violence was the culmination of a criminal conspiracy led by Mr Trump to subvert the election. The ex-president is facing multiple federal and state criminal charges related to the events. Democrats plan to make the tycoon’s conduct on January 6 a key campaign issue, pointing to the 450-plus Trump supporters jailed over allegations ranging from seditious conspiracy to trespassing and assaulting police.

AFP