President Donald Trump recorded a message and posted a video on his Twitter feed asking his supporters to go home, but also saying that he won the election in a landslide.
We had the video posted, but around 6:30 p.m. Twitter had taken it down.
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Twitter for the first time has now reportedly locked Trump’s account, demanding he remove tweets excusing violence, or else it has threatened “permanent suspension.’”
Here is what President Trump said in the Wednesday afternoon video, which was flagged by Twitter for false claims, and then removed from the site.
“I know your pain. I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt. It’s a very tough period of time. There’s never been a time like this where such a thing happened. Where they could take it away from all of us: From me, from you, from our country. This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So, go home. We love you. You are very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad, so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace.”
The video was issued more than two hours after protesters began storming the Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers convened for an extraordinary joint session to confirm the Electoral College results and President elect Joe Biden’s victory.
Republican lawmakers and previous administration officials had begged Trump to give a statement, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio, to his supporters to quell the violence.
The statement came as authorities struggled to take control of a chaotic situation at the Capitol that led to the evacuation of lawmakers.
Trump tweeted at 6:01 p.m. a message that, too, was removed: “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”