On Thursday, the White House said that President Joe Biden will make a one-year anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, honoring the bravery of law enforcement and outlining the unfinished work the nation needs to do to strengthen its democracy.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both Democrats, will speak at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday morning after a mob loyal to former U.S. President Donald Trump raided the complex in an attempt to stop the counting of Electoral College votes that gave Biden s election victory.
Later on Tuesday, Trump canceled a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that had been scheduled for the evening of January 6, saying he would address many of the same topics at a rally Jan. 15th.
Trump, some fellow Republicans and right-wing media personalities, have pushed false and misleading accounts to downplay the Jan. 6 attack, calling it a non-violent protest or blaming leftist activists.
On the day of the riot, four people died, and a Capitol police officer died the day after defending Congress. Dozens of police officers were injured during the multi-hour attack by Trump supporters, and four officers have since taken their own lives.
On January 6, Psaki said that Biden will put an extra spotlight on the role of Capitol Police and others on the scene.
Because of their efforts, our democracy withstood an attack from a mob, and the will of more than 150 million people who voted in the presidential election was eventually registered by Congress, Psaki said.
Psaki was asked what the president's message would be to the many Republicans who believe Biden stole the election from Trump despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
He will continue to speak to everyone in the country. People who didn't vote for him, those who may not believe he is the legitimate president, about what he wants to do to make their lives better, Psaki said.
The White House is struggling to get voting-rights legislation through the U.S. Senate that would counter new laws in Republican-led states that Democrats say would limit left-leaning voters. Sources said Biden and Harris don't plan to use the Jan. 6 event to push for voting-rights legislation.