The Claim: Major media outlets accused Donald Trump of inciting rioters to storm Capitol Hill on January 6 to protest the results of the election. (occurred January 6, 2021)
In this clip from NBC, they purposefully edit the entire context of President Trump’s speech. His full statement regarding the protest on Capitol Hill paints a better picture of what he was calling for:
The statement after the edited clips shows Donald Trump calling for protestors to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
When the riots began happening, it took President Trump way too long to release a firm statement calling for supporters to go home. Maybe he liked the fact the rioting occurred and let it happen. However, it’s hard to hold him legally liable for incitement. At no point did he call for violence, and at no point did he call for people to go into the Capitol building and deface property.
President Trump was impeached (again) for this event. The impeachment was a drastic overreaction and a way for Democrats (and some Republicans) to claim that Trump was the first President to be impeached twice. Perhaps censure would have been a more appropriate way to condemn how Trump reacted to the events, but the accusations of incitement are weak when the full context of his speech is shown.