"States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval. All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!"
In testimony and the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack report, aides said Trump was told Pence lacked that authority.
Though originally scheduled to speak at 11:00 AM, Trump took the stage at The Ellipse almost an hour later, at 12:00 PM.
Hosted by 'Women For America First,' this event was permitted for 30,000 attendees, but not for a march to the Capitol. On multiple occasions prior to January 6, event organizers told officials at the Department of the Interior that there would be 'no march' to the Capitol from the rally at The Ellipse.
"...Anyone you want, but I think right here, we’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated, lawfully slated. I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard."
Although a handful of supporters were already at the Capitol by the time of Trump's march announcement, a large wave of supporters from the area surrounding The Ellipse can be seen on CCTV footage of the District beginning their march to the Capitol shortly after 12:15 PM.
One such supporter—Ryan Samsel of Pennsylvania—would play a key role in breaching police lines onto restricted Capitol grounds less than 40 minutes later.
A large crowd gathered on the west side of the Capitol overruns a line of U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers positioned behind lightweight metal barricades (often described in court as “bike rack” barricades).
In court, 12:53 p.m. was significant because it established when the restricted area was actively defended and visibly breached, a key factor in determining defendants’ knowledge, intent, and the escalating nature of the event that ultimately led to the storming of the Capitol.
"Chief Sund asked for MPD’s assistance. Officers were immediately authorized to deploy to the west front of the Capitol and arrived within minutes. Additional officers were on standby at Third Street SW and Maryland Avenue SW." — MPD Chief Contee
As rioters advance on the police line on the West Plaza, Trump Supporter Benjamin Philips collapses near the Northwest Scaffold.
The D.C. chief medical examiner determined that Philips, 50, died of hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease—a medical condition involving heart disease brought on by high blood pressure and artery hardening. The manner of death was ruled natural.
Vice President Mike Pence posts 3 pages (images) of his letter to Congress to Twitter, which ultimately states:
"When the Joint Session of Congress convenes today, I will do my duty to see to it that we open the certificates of the Electors of the several states, we hear objections raised by Senators and Representatives, and we count the votes of the Electoral College for President and Vice President in a manner consistent with our Constitution, laws, and history. So Help Me God."
In the House Chamber, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) bangs the gavel to call the joint session of Congress to order, beginning formal proceedings.
Members are assembled to carry out the constitutionally mandated count of Electoral College votes, marking the official start of debate and certification.
USCP officers on the Lower West Terrace fire pepper ball and FN-303 less lethal munitions onto advancing rioters on the Upper West Plaza below.
Court testimony emphasized the need for less lethals as immediate officer safety and crowd control—creating distance, disrupting the most violent actors at the point of contact, and trying to re-establish a defensible line.
"So we’re going to, we’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. I love Pennsylvania Avenue. And we’re going to the Capitol, and we’re going to try and give... The Democrats are hopeless, they're never vote for anything. Not even one vote. But we’re going to try and give our Republicans, the weak ones because the strong ones don’t need any of our help. We’re going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country. So let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue."
Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (R) objects to his own state's electoral votes. Texas Rep. Ted Cruz (R) signs on to the objection.
Mike Pence, in his role as the presiding officer of the joint meeting of Congress: "The two Houses will withdraw from joint session. Each House will deliberate separately on the pending objection and report its decision back to the joint session. The Senate will now retire to its Chamber."
While on the phone with his wife, Trump Supporter Kevin Greeson collapses on the Lower West Plaza.
The D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Kevin Greeson, 55, died of a natural cause—specifically hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (a form of heart disease) after suffering a heart attack.
For a number of years following the Capitol riot, pro-J6 organizations pushed the false narrative that Greeson had been killed by police grenades. CCTV footage of Greeson's collapse disproves that narrative.
MPD officers begin deploying CS blast-ball munitions into the growing crowd on the Capitol’s West Front.
The irritant grenades disperse tear gas to push rioters back from police lines as barriers fall and assaults intensify. The escalation follows mounting breaches along the West Plaza police line.
As rioters pressed closer to the building, USCP ordered the evacuation of the Capitol Complex.
This evacuation directive was part of broader efforts by USCP to move members and staff away from risk areas and to secure the building as law enforcement positions were being overrun—a point reflected in official timelines and later committee investigations into Capitol security and response failures.
Mayor Bowser asks Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy for additional National Guard forces, according to a Pentagon timeline intended to "memorialize the planning and execution efforts of the Department of Defense to address the Violent Attack at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021."
After a few small breaches and mounting escalation along police lines, rioters along the Capitol's East perimeter—marked by lightweight metal barricades—overrun USCP officers and rush the East Steps of the Capitol.
As rioters pulled police barricades from the perimeter, officers attempt to fill those gaps to hold the line. Early clips of this were interpreted as police "removing barricades" and "inviting rioters in" rather than filling in the gaps created by rioters. CCTV released in the years following disproved that narrative.
Rioters force entry into the U.S. Capitol through the Senate Wing doors on the building’s west side. After overwhelming police lines and smashing windows, members of the crowd climb through broken glass and open doors from the inside. The breach marks the first successful entry into the building, triggering lockdowns, evacuations, and a full suspension of the Electoral College certification proceedings.
"Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!"
Pence is evacuated from the Senate chamber by U.S. Secret Service agents. Officers quickly move him, his family, and senior staff through a rear exit and down a stairwell to a secure location inside the Capitol complex as security conditions rapidly deteriorate.
"Today, I'm ordering a citywide curfew for the District of Columbia from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, until 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 7."
"Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!"
By this time, violence at the Capitol had already been underway for well over an hour. The Capitol had been violently breached by his supporters, police were still being attacked, two were dead on restricted Capitol grounds, and the House chamber had yet to be fully evacuated.
Critics argue that by 2:38 PM, given the known breaches and violence, a direct instruction to leave was warranted but deliberately withheld.
USCP Officer Michael Byrd shoots Ashli Babbitt as she attempts to climb through the smashed out window of a defensive barricade at the doors to the Speakers Lobby.
The lobby sits only feet from the entrance to the House chamber, making it a critical choke point shielding both the occupied chamber and an active evacuation route.
In an August 23, 2021 press release, USCP's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) "determined the officer's conduct was lawful and within Department policy."
"I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!"
Despite advisors repeatedly pressing him to more forecefully quell the violence at the Capitol, Trump still refused to urge the crowd to disperse entirely.
In public testimony, former Special Counsel Jack Smith emphasized that Trump refused to stop the riot as it unfolded, requiring staff to push him to do more.
Rosanne Boyland, 34, is caught in a densely packed crowd as rioters violently surge against police in and around the Lower West Terrace tunnel—one of the day’s fiercest confrontation points.
Amid intense pushing and shoving as demonstrators try to force through the police line toward the Capitol steps, Boyland collapses and is subsequently found unresponsive on the ground as the mob continues to press around her. Medical responders and fellow attendees attempt aid, but she does not regain consciousness.
Initial reports suggested she was trampled in the crush; the DC medical examiner later ruled her death an accidental amphetamine overdose.
"I know your pain, I know you're hurt. 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 peace. 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. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You're very special. You've seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil.
I know how you feel, but go home, and go home in peace."
The first DCNG elements depart the D.C. Armory en route to the Capitol, according to the official Pentagon timeline and congressional testimony.
"The DC National Guard was ready to help and assist Capitol Police, but we were not allowed to do our job due to paralyzed decision making by acting Secretary of Defense, Chris Miller, and Secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy." — Captain Timothy Nick, in his April 17, 2024 testimony to Congress.
11 minute after departure from the D.C. Armory, 154 DCNG arrive at the Capitol, where they are sworn in with USCP and begin support operations.