NEWTON (AFP) – Donald Trump hit the campaign trail on Saturday 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 United States (US) Capitol by a mob of his supporters.
Many watched in horror three years ago on January 6, 2021, as rioters – egged on by the ex-president and fuelled by his false claims of voter fraud – stormed the seat of US democracy in a bid to halt the transfer of power.
In a rambling, two-hour speech on Saturday to supporters in Newton, Iowa, 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.
Trump mocked President Joe Biden, his putative rival in November’s election.
He said Biden 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.
Trump warned of World War III if 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, Trump declared that in November he will win for the third time.
The runaway leader in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Trump was impeached for inciting insurrection and faces multiple felony charges over his conduct leading up to and during the violence.
Biden, who offered blistering criticism of Trump in a speech on Friday, has no public events planned this weekend, the White House said.
Trump leads rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis by more than 30 points in Iowa, which stages its Republican nominating contest – known as a ‘caucus’ – on January 15, kicking off the 2024 primary season.
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 hard-liners in Congress promoting the fantasy that the chaos at the Capitol was a ‘false flag’ operation by federal agents.
