Trump Records "Go Home" Video Message During Jan 6 Attack -- Refuses Script Saying "Peaceful," Tells Rioters "We Love You" (2021-01-06)

On the afternoon of January 6, 2021, as the Capitol was under attack, President Trump recorded a video message in the Rose Garden. The January 6 committee revealed never-before-seen raw footage and testimony showing that White House staff had prepared a script for Trump that said: "I'm asking you to leave the Capitol region now and go home in a peaceful way." The script was stamped "President has seen."

Trump refused to use the script. Instead, he spoke off the cuff, telling rioters: "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 law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don't want anybody hurt. This was a fraudulent election, but we can't play into the hands of these people. So go home. We love you. You're very special."

White House Deputy Counsel Eric Herschmann and Nick Luna accompanied Trump to film the message. Herschmann testified that when finished, "everyone was drained" and considered the day over -- even though the Capitol was still under attack. Law enforcement was still engaged with the mob, but the White House made no further effort to call off the riot or assist law enforcement that day. The video was eventually posted to Twitter, after which Trump added a tweet telling rioters to "remember this day forever."