Every living former US president is speaking out in the aftermath of riots descending on the US Capitol in an effort to disrupt Congress certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
Members of Congress were forced to evacuate in gas masks after hundreds of rioters overpowered Capitol Police and breached the building.
The chaos included an armed standoff outside the House of Representatives’ chamber and multiple deaths amid the chaos.
President Barack Obama did not mince words in discussing what occurred, placing full blame on President Trump, lawmakers who supported him, and an “accompanying media ecosystem.”
“History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation,” the 44th president said in a statement. “But we’d be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise.”
“For two months now, a political party and its accompanying media ecosystem has too often been unwilling to tell their followers the truth — that this was not a particularly close election and that President-elect Biden will be inaugurated on January 20,” he continued. “Their fantasy narrative has spiraled further and further from reality, and it builds upon years of sown resentments. Now we’re seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo.”
The Electoral College went 306-232 for Biden, but Trump has alleged that widespread fraud tipped the results in swing states.
Courts have rejected those claims, and Trump has refused to concede, though in the aftermath of the riots, he pledged a “peaceful transition of power.”
Obama’s predecessor, President George W. Bush, issued a similarly passionate statement in the wake of what occurred, saying he was watching “the mayhem unfolding … in disbelief and dismay.”
“This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic — not our democratic republic,” he continued, before turning his ire toward Trump without naming him.
“I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement,” the 43rd president said.
“The violent assault on the Capitol — and disruption of a Constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress — was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes. Insurrection could do grave damage to our Nation and reputation.”
Bush’s statement closed by focusing on the outgoing president’s supporters and those who were upset by his 2020 election loss.
“To those who are disappointed in the results of the election: Our country is more important than the politics of the moment. Let the officials elected by the people fulfill their duties and represent our voices in peace and safety.”
Unlike Bush and Obama, President Bill Clinton chose to reference Trump by name, a rarity given that former US presidents have a history of avoiding public criticism of their successors.
“Today we faced an unprecedented assault on our Capitol, our Constitution, and our country. The assault was fueled by more than four years of poison politics spreading deliberate misinformation, sowing distrust in our system, and pitting Americans against one another,” Clinton wrote in a series of tweets in the hours after the attack.
“The match was lit by Donald Trump and his most ardent enablers, including many in Congress, to overturn the results of an election he lost,” Clinton wrote in the second of four posts.
Former President Bill Clinton DNCC via Getty Images“The election was free, the count was fair, the result is final. We must complete the peaceful transfer of power our Constitution mandates.”
“I have always believed that America is made up of good, decent people. I still do. If that’s who we really are, we must reject today’s violence, turn the page, and move forward together,” he closed.
President Jimmy Carter, like Obama and Bush, declined to use Trump’s name in his statement, instead calling for healing and prayer in a time of national heartache.
“This is a national tragedy and is not who we are as a nation. Having observed elections in troubled democracies worldwide, I know that we the people can unite to walk back from this precipice to peacefully uphold the laws of our nation, and we must.”
“We join our fellow citizens in praying for a peaceful resolution so our nation can heal and complete the transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.”
