Trump Did Not Call the National Guard on January 6th
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Pence, not Trump, called for the National Guard to respond to the Capitol on January 6th.
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Trump delayed action for 187 minutes while rioters stormed the Capitol and attacked police. When he finally responded via Tweet, he asked supporters to go home "with love & in peace." ​
President Donald Trump did not call the National Guard to try to stop violence on January 6th. Instead he waited 187 minutes before taking any action at all.
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When Trump finally responded, he tweeted:
"These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from the great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!"
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According to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mark Milley, Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows refused to send the National Guard to stop rioters from harming police officers and members of Congress.
Vice President Mike Pence was the one who called the National Guard to intercede in the attack on the Capitol while he was fleeing the Senate voting chamber and rioters yelled, "Hang Mike Pence!"
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mark Milley, testified to the Committee that Pence asked leaders at the Pentagon to “get the Guard down here” and “put down this situation.”
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Eventually, the National Guard did arrive at the Capitol, but that was hours after the breach and in spite of Trump’s wishes.
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Some have speculated that it was Congressional Democrats who refused to respond to the riot. However, MilitaryTimes debunked the theory that Congressional Democrats refused to deploy the military to stop the violence on January 6th.
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Read a complete timeline of events here and learn more about how the Stop the Steal Rally turned into an assault on the Capitol.