On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump. Academic debate exists about whether to characterize the event as a coup, an attempted coup, or neither. The attack happened two months after Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election. Attackers sought to keep him in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of then president-elect Joe Biden. The attack was unsuccessful in preventing the certification of the election results. According to the bipartisan House select committee that investigated the incident, the attack was the culmination of a plan by Trump to overturn the election. Within 36 hours, five people died: one was shot by the Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes, including a police officer who died of a stroke a day after being assaulted by rioters and collapsing at the Capitol. Many people were injured, including 174 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months. Damage caused by attackers exceeded $2.7 million. Called to action by Trump on January 5 and 6, thousands of his supporters had gathered in Washington, D.C., to support his false claims that the 2020 election had been "stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats", and to demand that then–vice president Mike Pence and Congress reject Biden's victory. Starting at noon on January 6, at a "Save America" rally on the Ellipse, Trump gave a speech in which he repeated false claims of election irregularities and said, "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore". As Congress began the electoral vote count, thousands of attendees, some armed, walked to the Capitol, and hundreds breached police perimeters. Among the rioters were leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers extremist militia groups. The FBI estimates 2,000–2,500 people entered the Capitol during the attack. Some vandalized and looted, including in the offices of House speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Congress members. Rioters assaulted Capitol Police officers and journalists. Capitol Police evacuated and locked down both chambers of Congress and several buildings in the Complex. Rioters occupied the empty Senate chamber, while federal law enforcement officers defended the evacuated House floor. Pipe bombs were found at the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters, and Molotov cocktails were discovered in a vehicle near the Capitol. Trump resisted sending the National Guard to quell the mob. That afternoon, in a Twitter video, he restated false claims about the election and told his supporters to "go home in peace". The Capitol was cleared of rioters by mid-evening, and the electoral vote count was resumed and completed by the morning of January 7, concluding with Pence declaring the final electoral vote count in favor of President-elect Biden. Pressured by his cabinet, the threat of removal, and resignations, Trump conceded to an orderly transition of power in a televised statement. A week after the attack, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for incitement of insurrection, making him the only U.S. president to be impeached twice. After Trump had left office, the Senate voted 57–43 in favor of conviction, but fell short of the required two-thirds, resulting in his acquittal. Senate Republicans blocked a bill to create a bipartisan independent commission to investigate the attack, so the House instead approved a select investigation committee. They held public hearings, voted to subpoena Trump, and recommended that the Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecute him. Following a special counsel investigation, Trump was indicted on four charges, all dismissed following his 2024 election to the presidency. Trump and elected Republican officials have promoted a revisionist history of the event by downplaying the severity of the violence, spreading conspiracy theories, and portraying those charged with crimes as hostages and martyrs. Of the 1,424 people then charged with federal crimes relating to the event, 1,010 pled guilty, and 1,060 were sentenced, 64% of them to jail time. Some participants were linked to far-right extremist groups or conspiratorial movements, including the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters, some of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy. Enrique Tarrio, then chairman of the Proud Boys, received the longest sentence, a 22-year prison term. No one was charged with the crime of insurrection. In 2022, Biden signed a new law to clarify how electoral votes are to be counted. On January 20, 2025, upon taking office again, Trump granted clemency to all January 6 rioters, including those convicted of violent offenses.
Background
Attempts to overturn the presidential election
Joe Biden, of the Democratic Party, defeated incumbent Republican Party president Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Trump and other Republicans attempted to overturn the election, falsely claiming widespread voter fraud.
Within hours after the polls closing, while votes were still being tabulated, Trump declared victory, demanding counting be halted. He began a campaign to subvert the election, through legal challenges and extralegal effort. Some of Trump's attorneys concluded there was neither a factual foundation nor valid legal argument for challenging the election results. Others cited the Electoral Count Act of 1887 as they tried to overturn Trump's loss (that law would later be amended in 2022 to prevent recurrence of the January 6 debacle). Before leaving office, Trump sought to overturn the results by filing sixty lawsuits, including two that came before the Supreme Court. Those challenges were all rejected by the courts, for lack of evidence or legal standing. Trump then mounted a campaign to pressure Republican governors, secretaries of state, and state legislatures to nullify results by replacing slates of Biden electors with slates pledged to Trump, or by manufacturing evidence of fraud. He demanded lawmakers investigate ostensible election "irregularities", such as by conducting signature matches of mailed-in ballots, disregarding any prior analytic efforts. Trump made inquiries regarding the possibility of invoking martial law to "re-run" or reverse the election and appointed a special counsel to find instances of fraud, despite conclusions by federal and state officials that such cases were few or non-existent. Trump ultimately undertook neither step. Working with the Trump campaign, lawyers John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro wrote a series of memorandum detailing a plan for the campaign to submit its own unauthorized sets of electoral votes. After the submission of these documents, it was intended that the presiding officer of the United States Senate, either President of the Senate Mike Pence or President pro tempore Chuck Grassley, would claim to have the unilateral power to reject electors during the January 6, 2021, vote counting session; the presiding officer would reject all electors from the several states in which the Trump campaign had submitted false documents, thereby overturning the election results in favour of Trump. Trump repeatedly urged Pence to obstruct the count and stop Biden from taking office, despite this not being within Pence's constitutional powers as president of the Senate. Trump repeated this call in his rally speech on the morning of January 6. Trump's role in the plot to use fake electors led to prosecutions in Georgia and in federal court. Numerous scholars, historians, political scientists, and journalists have characterized these efforts to overturn the election as an attempted self-coup by Trump and an implementation of the "big lie". However, there is scholarship on the other side as well; post-January 6 scholarship is split about whether to include that event within the term "coup," some say yes, some say no. News reporting about scholarly opinions reflects that division.
=== Planning of January 6 events === On December 18, Trump called for supporters to attend a rally before the January 6 Congressional vote count, writing on Twitter, "Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!". On December 28, far-right activist Ali Alexander described collaboration with the Proud Boys and explained the purpose of the January 6 event would be "to build momentum and pressure" to convince members of Congress to alter the election results. He named three Republican members of the House as allies who were planning "something big": Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and Mo Brooks. "We're the four guys who came up with a January 6 event", Alexander said. On December 23, Roger Stone's group Stop the Steal posted plans to "occupy just outside" the Capitol with promises to "escalate" if opposed by police. Stone recorded a video for his "Stop The Steal Security Project" to raise funds "for the staging, the transportation and most importantly the security" of the event. The event was largely funded by Trump donor Julie Fancelli, heiress to the Publix supermarket fortune, who budgeted $3 million for and spent at least $650,000. Fancelli's funding, via conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, was used to reserve the Ellipse. With Fancelli's funding, a robocall campaign urged people to "march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal". Jones claimed the White House asked him to lead the march to the Capitol. On January 2, Trump announced plans to speak at the "March to Save America" rally on January 6. On January 4, Steve Bannon said he was part of "the bloodless coup".
Seditious conspiracy by Oath Keepers and Proud Boys
On November 5, two days after the election, leaders of the Oath Keepers began communicating about a "civil war". On November 9, the leaders held a members-only online conference in which leader Stewart Rhodes outlined a plan to stop the transfer of power, including preparations for using force. The Oath Keepers planned to store "an arsenal" with a "Quick Reaction Force" (QRF) in nearby Alexandria, Virginia. The leaders planned to procure boat transportation so bridge closures could not prevent their entry into D.C. On December 12, about 200 Proud Boys joined a march near Freedom Plaza and the Trump International Hotel dressed in combat fatigues and ballistic vests. In scuffles between protesters and counter-protesters, four people were stabbed and at least 23 arrested. Three days later, Proud Boy members were being photographed wearing apparel featuring the antisemitic, Neo-Nazi slogan "6MWE" (6 million wasn't enough), referring to the number of Jewish Holocaust victims. The slogan was accompanied by an Eagle and fasces symbol used by the Italian Fascists. The image, which spread on Twitter, prompted the Anti-Defamation League to declare that the "Proud Boys' Bigotry is on Full Display". On December 19, Oath Keepers leader Kelly Meggs called Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio. One Proud Boy leader posted a message saying, "I am assuming most of the protest will be at the capital [sic] building given what's going on inside". The Proud Boys leadership encouraged members to attend the January 6 event. Leaders used a crowdfunding website to raise money and purchase paramilitary equipment such as concealed tactical vests and radio equipment in preparation for the attack. Chapter leadership spent the days prior to, and morning of January 6, planning the attack. On December 29, leaders announced plans to be "incognito" on January 6, by not wearing their traditional black and yellow garb. On December 30, the leadership received a document titled "1776 Returns", which called for the occupation of "crucial buildings" on January 6 and argued for supporters to "Storm the Winter Palace" in a reference to an attack on the Capitol. On January 3 and 4, Proud Boys leadership explicitly discussed "storming" the Capitol. On January 3, Rhodes departed home, having spent $6,000 on a rifle and other firearms equipment in Texas, and $4,500 in Mississippi, en route to D.C. On January 5, leaders began unloading weapons for the "QRF". Leaders drove into D.C. on a "reconnaissance mission". On January 4, Tarrio was arrested by D.C. police in connection with a prior destruction-of-property charge. Fearing the police would access Tarrio's messaging apps, leadership deleted the group chat and created a new one. Tarrio was released on January 5 and ordered to leave the city. Rather than immediately comply, he traveled to a parking garage to meet with Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes. The night of January 5, Proud Boys leaders divided members into teams, passed out radios, and programmed them to specific channels in preparation. Orders were issued to assemble at 10 a.m. at the Washington Monument. Leadership warned members to avoid police and blend in with the public. On January 6, about 100 plainclothes members assembled at the Washington Monument and were led to the Capitol to participate in the attack.
Predictions of violence
The weeks preceding January 6 were filled with predictions of violence by Trump supporters. The attack was later said to be "planned in plain sight", with postings on social media even planning for violence on January 6. Commentators had long feared that Trump might provoke violence after an electoral loss. For weeks before January 6, there were over one million mentions of storming the Capitol on social media, including calls for violence against Congress, Pence, and the police. On December 28, a map was posted showing entrances and exits to the Capitol and tunnels that connect it to House and Senate office buildings. Black X's represented forces that would be "ready for action" if Congress tried to certify the election. On January 1, the operator of a website about the tunnels noticed a traffic spike, prompting him to notify the FBI of a likely attack. From December 29 to January 5, the FBI and its field offices warned of armed protests at every state capitol and reported plans by Trump supporters that included violence. On December 30, one popular comment was posted, saying, "I'm thinking it will be literal war on that day. Where we'll storm offices and physically remove and even kill all the D.C. traitors and reclaim the country". That comment was highlighted in a January 2 article by The Daily Beast which reported protesters were discussing bringing guns, breaking into federal buildings, and attacking law enforcement. In the days leading up to the attack, organizations, including ones that monitor online extremism, issued warnings about the event. On January 5, the media published stories about widespread predictions of violence, and D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser called for residents to avoid the downtown area where protesters would march. Two D.C. food and lodging establishments with a history of being patronized by the Proud Boys announced temporary closures, citing safety concerns. Members of Congress reached out to law enforcement charged with protecting the Capitol against violence and were assured Capitol Police were prepared. Three days before the Capitol attack, the Capitol Police intelligence unit circulated a memo warning that Trump supporters see the day of the Electoral College vote count "as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election" and could use violence against "Congress itself" on that date.
Law enforcement and National Guard preparations
On November 9, Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and replaced him with Christopher C. Miller. In response, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Gina Haspel told Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley "we are on the way to a right-wing coup". On December 18, Miller unilaterally terminated the Department of Defense's transition to the incoming administration, falsely claiming it was a mutually-agreed pause for the holidays. On January 2, Republican senator Mitt Romney – who himself had lost the 2012 presidential election against Barack Obama, and conceded in an orderly manner – contacted Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, predicting reinforcements would be denied, "... a senior official at the Pentagon... reports that they are seeing very disturbing social media traffic regarding the protests planned on the 6th. There are calls to burn down your home, Mitch; to smuggle guns into DC, and to storm the Capitol. I hope that sufficient security plans are in place, but I am concerned that the instigator—the President—is the one who commands the reinforcements the DC and Capitol police might require". On January 3, all ten living former defense secretaries released an open letter in which they expressed concerns about a potential coup to overturn the election, mentioning Christopher Miller by name. That day, Trump ordered Miller to "do whatever was necessary to protect the demonstrators" on January 6. The next day, Miller signed a memo severely limiting the ability of the D.C. National Guard to deploy without his permission. Since his appointment in 2018, D.C. National Guard commanding major general William J. Walker had standing orders to respond to civil disturbances in the district, but on January 5, Walker received new orders from Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy forbidding him to respond to a civil disturbance without explicit prior approval from McCarthy and Miller. Previously, he had authority to respond without seeking permission. After the attack, Walker described the order as "unusual", noting "It required me to seek authorization from the secretary of the Army and the secretary of defense to essentially protect my guardsmen". On January 4, D.C. mayor Bowser announced that the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) would lead law enforcement in the district, and would coordinate with the Capitol Police, the U.S. Park Police, and the Secret Service. Jurisdictionally, the Metropolitan Police Department is responsible for city streets of the National Mall and Capitol area, whereas the Park Police are responsible for the Ellipse, the Secret Service is responsible for the vicinity of the White House, and the Capitol Police is responsible for the Capitol complex itself. During a meeting with a representative of the Capitol Police, the Mayor asked, "[W]here does your perimeter start?" At that point, the individual left the room, and stopped participating in the conference. The mayor later recalled, "[T]hat should have been like a trigger to me. Like these people, they don't want to answer questions about their preparation". On January 6, under "orders from leadership", the Capitol Police deployed without "less lethal" arms such as sting grenades. The Capitol Police armory was not properly maintained; riot shields had been improperly stored at the wrong temperature, rendering them ineffective, while ammunition stores were expired.
Trump supporters gather in D.C.
On January 5, events related to overturning the election occurred on or near the National Mall in Washington, D.C., at places such as Freedom Plaza, the North Inner Gravel Walkway between 13th and 14th Streets, Area 9 across from the Russell Senate Office Building, and near the United States Supreme Court. On the night of January 5 and into the morning of January 6, at least ten people were arrested, several on weapons charges. On January 5, Ray Epps, an individual with a history in the Arizona Oath Keepers, was filmed during two street gatherings urging people to go into the Capitol the next day, "peacefully", he said at one of the gatherings. Epps was filmed on January 6 telling people to "go to the Capitol". Epps had texted his nephew that he was "orchestrating" the flow into the Capitol building. Epps later claimed that he had been boasting about "directing" people towards the Capitol. From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on January 5, a series of Trump rallies were held at Freedom Plaza. Notable speakers included Alex Jones, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, and Roger Stone. Flynn and Stone had received presidential pardons in prior weeks. On December 8, Trump pardoned retired US Army lieutenant general Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to "willfully and knowingly" making false statements to the FBI about communications with the Russian ambassador. Flynn, a prominent QAnon proponent, participated in the D.C. events on January 5, while his brother, U.S. Army general Charles Flynn, would participate in a conference call on January 6 when he would refuse permission to deploy the National Guard after the breach of the Capitol. On December 23, Trump pardoned Roger Stone, who had been found guilty at trial of witness tampering, making false statements to Congress, and obstruction. Stone, who had longtime ties to the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, employed Oath Keepers as security on January 5. Stone's Oath-Keeper driver, Roberto Minuta, was later convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in plotting and executing the following day's attack.
=== January 5 meetings === In the evening of January 5, Trump's closest allies, including Michael Flynn, Corey Lewandowski, Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville, and Trump's sons Donald Jr. and Eric, met at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. Tuberville has since said that he did not attend the meeting, despite having been photographed in the hotel's lobby. According to Charles Herbster, who said he attended the meeting himself, attendees included Tuberville, Adam Piper, and Peter Navarro. Daniel Beck wrote that "Fifteen of us spent the evening with Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Tommy Tuberville, Mike Lindell, Peter Navarro, and Rudy Giuliani". Herbster claimed to be standing "in the private residence of the President at Trump International with the following patriots who are joining me in a battle for justice and truth". He added David Bossie to the list of attendees.
Bombs placed
At 7:40 p.m. on January 5, someone was filmed carrying a bag through a neighborhood on South Capitol Street. At 7:52 p.m., the person was recorded sitting on a bench outside the DNC; the next day, a pipe bomb was discovered there, under a bush. In the footage, the suspect appears to zip a bag, stand and walk away. At 8:14, the suspect was filmed in an alley near the RNC, where a second pipe bomb was found the following day. Both bombs were placed within a few blocks of the Capitol. Nearing the second anniversary of the incident, a reward of $500,000 was offered. In December 2025, a suspect in connection with the incident was arrested by the FBI and told the FBI that he believed conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
=== January 6 Trump rally === On January 6, the "Save America" rally (or "March to Save America", promoted as a "Save America March") took place on the Ellipse within the National Mall just south of the White House. The permit granted to Women for America First scheduled a first amendment rally "March for Trump", with speeches running from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with an additional hour for the conclusion of the rally and dispersal of participants.
Trump supporters gathered on the Ellipse to hear speeches from Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and others, such as Chapman University School of Law professor John Eastman, who spoke, at least in part, based on his memorandums, which have been described as an instruction manual for a coup d'état. In a February court filing, Jessica Watkins, a member of the Oath Keepers, claimed she had acted as "security" at the rally in collaboration with the Secret Service. The Secret Service denied this, with Watkins later changing her story; in 2023, she was sentenced to 8+1⁄2 years in prison. Mo Brooks was a featured speaker at the rally and spoke around 9 a.m., where he said, "Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass". And later, "Are you willing to do what it takes to fight for America? Louder! Will you fight for America?" Representative Madison Cawthorn said, "This crowd has some fight". Women for America First founder Amy Kremer told attendees, "it is up to you and I to save this Republic" and called on them to "keep up the fight". Trump's sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, along with Eric's wife Lara Trump, also spoke, naming and verbally attacking Republican congressmen and senators who were not supporting the effort to challenge the Electoral College vote, and promising to campaign against them in future primary elections. Donald Jr. said of Republican lawmakers, "If you're gonna be the zero and not the hero, we're coming for you". Rudy Giuliani repeated conspiracy theories that voting machines used in the election were "crooked" and at 10:50 called for "trial by combat". Eastman asserted that balloting machines contained "secret folders" that altered voting results. At 10:58, a Proud Boys contingent left the rally and marched toward the Capitol Building. On January 6, the "Wild Protest" was organized by Stop The Steal and took place in Area 8, across from the Russell Senate Office Building. On January 6, the "Freedom Rally" was organized by Virginia Freedom Keepers, Latinos for Trump, and United Medical Freedom Super PAC at 300 First Street NE, across from the Russell Senate Office Building.
Trump's speech
Starting at 11:58, from behind a bulletproof shield, President Trump gave a speech, declaring that he would "never concede" the election, criticizing the media, and calling for Pence to overturn the election results. His speech contained many falsehoods and misrepresentations that inflamed the crowd. Trump did not call on his supporters to use violence or enter the Capitol, but his speech was filled with violent imagery. On social media, Trump was suggesting that his supporters had the power to prevent Biden from taking office. One of his tweets, posted on January 6, 2021, at 5:43 a.m., was "Get smart Republicans. FIGHT". The same afternoon, Pence released a letter to Congress, in which he said he could not challenge Biden's victory. Although the initial plan for the rally called for people to remain at the Ellipse until the counting of electoral slates was complete, the White House said they should march to the Capitol, as Trump repeatedly urged during his speech. Trump called for his supporters to "walk down to the Capitol" 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". He told the crowd that he would be with them, but he ultimately did not go to the Capitol. As to counting Biden's electoral votes, Trump said, "We can't let that happen" and suggested Biden would be an "illegitimate president". Referring to the day of the elections, Trump said, "most people would stand there at 9:00 in the evening and say, 'I want to thank you very much,' and they go off to some other life, but I said, 'Something's wrong here. Something's really wrong. [It] can't have happened.' And we fight. We fight like Hell and if you don't fight like Hell, you're not going to have a country anymore". He said the protesters would be "going to the Capitol and we're going to try and give [Republicans] the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country". Trump also said, "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". Trump denounced Representative Liz Cheney, saying, "We've got to get rid of the weak Congresspeople, the ones that aren't any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world". He called upon his supporters to "fight much harder" against "bad people"; told the crowd that "you are allowed to go by very different rules"; said that his supporters were "not going to take it any longer"; framed the moment as the last stand; suggested that Pence and other Republican officials put themselves in danger by accepting Biden's victory; and told the crowd he would march with them to the Capitol (but was prevented from doing so by his security detail). In addition to the twenty times he used the term "fight", Trump once used the term "peacefully", saying, "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard". During Trump's speech, his supporters chanted "Take the Capitol", "Taking the Capitol right now", "Invade the Capitol", "Storm the Capitol" and "Fight for Trump". Before Trump had finished speaking at 1:12 p.m., the Proud Boys had begun their attack on the Capitol and breached the outer perimeter of the Capitol grounds; the two pipe bombs had been discovered nearby.
Attack on the Capitol
Just before the Proud Boys attacked the Capitol, pipe bombs were discovered nearby. Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other attackers besieged and breached the Capitol. Members of Congress barricaded themselves in the chamber, and one unarmed woman, airforce veteran Ashli Babbitt, was fatally shot by police while attempting to breach a barricade. After officials at the Pentagon delayed deployment of the National Guard, citing concerns about optics, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser requested assistance from Virginia governor Ralph Northam. By 3:15, Virginia State Police began arriving in D.C. After Vice President Pence and Congress were evacuated to secure locations, law enforcement cleared and secured the Capitol.
Proud Boys march to Capitol as mob assembles
At 10:30, over a hundred Proud Boys left the Washington Monument, led by Ethan Nordean and Joe Biggs. By 11:52, the group reached the Capitol and walked around it before doubling back to the west side, which allowed them to assess building defenses and look for weaknesses. En route, comments from a Proud Boy served as an indicator of a plan to attack the Capitol, according to a documentary filmmaker on scene:
There's only one moment where that – the sort of facade of marching and protesting might have fallen, which is there was a – one of the Proud Boys called Milkshake and Eddie Block on his livestream catches Milkshake saying, well, let's go storm the Capitol with Nordean – Rufio – one of the leaders of the Proud Boys saying, you could keep that quiet, please, Milkshake. And then we continued on marching. Around 12:30, a crowd of about 300 assembled east of the Capitol. Senator Josh Hawley, a leader of the group of lawmakers who vowed to challenge the Electoral College vote, greeted these protesters with a raised fist as he passed on his way to Congress's joint session. At 12:52, a group of Oath Keepers, wearing black hoodies with prominent logos, left the rally at the Ellipse and changed into Army Combat Uniforms, with helmets, on their way to the Capitol. Shortly before 12:53, Nordean and Biggs marched the group of 200–300 Proud Boys to a barricade on the west side of the Capitol grounds near the Peace Monument. Biggs used a megaphone to lead the crowd in chants.
Bombs discovered near Capitol Complex
Attack begins near Peace Monument, led by Proud Boys
The Proud Boys contingent reached the west perimeter of the Capitol grounds, which was protected only by a sparse line of police in front of a temporary fence. Other Trump supporters arrived, adding to a growing crowd. The Proud Boys coordinated their attacks "from the first moment of violence to multiple breaches of the Capitol while leaving the impression that it was just ordinary protesters leading the charge". Proud Boys targeted an access point and riled up the previously peaceful crowd. In a "tipping point", a man later identified as Ryan Samsel approached Joe Biggs and talked with him, even embracing him. Samsel told the FBI that Biggs "encouraged him to push at the barricades and that when he hesitated, the Proud Boys leader flashed a gun, questioned his manhood and repeated his demand to move upfront and challenge the police". Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola recalled seeing Biggs flash a handgun and goading Samsel, telling him to "defend his manhood" by attacking the police line, but later tried to retract this statement. Samsel talked to Oath Keeper Ray Epps in the same time frame, with Samsel and Epps stating that Epps was attempting to calm Samsel down and dissuade him from attacking police as Biggs was encouraging him to do. Samsel later changed his story. Shortly after speaking to Epps and Biggs, Samsel became the first to violently attack police. Officer Caroline Edwards described the attack:
Ms. Edwards described how a Proud Boys leader named Joseph Biggs encouraged another man to approach the bike rack barricade where she was posted. That man, Ryan Samsel, she said, pushed the bike rack over, causing her to hit her head and lose consciousness. But before she blacked out, Ms. Edwards recalled seeing "a war scene" playing out in front of her. Police officers were bleeding and throwing up, she recalled. "It was carnage", she said. "It was chaos". Video showed Edwards being pushed back behind a bicycle rack as Proud Boys pushed barricades towards her, knocking her off her feet and causing her to hit her head on the steps.
The Proud Boys led the charge toward the Capitol, to the next police line, repeating the same tactics: identifying access points, riling up protesters, and sometimes joining in the violence. When met with resistance, leaders reassessed, and teams of Proud Boys targeted new entry points. Around 1pm, hundreds of Trump supporters clashed with a line of officers and pushed through barriers along the Capitol perimeter. The crowd swept past barriers and officers, with members of the mob spraying officers with chemical agents or hitting them with lead pipes. Many rioters walked up the external stairways, while some resorted to ropes and makeshift ladders. Police blocked the entrance to a tunnel at the lower west terrace, where rioters waged a three-hour fight to enter. To gain access to the Capitol, several rioters scaled the west wall. Representative Zoe Lofgren, aware rioters had reached the Capitol steps, could not reach Capitol police chief Steven Sund by phone. House sergeant-at-arms Paul D. Irving told Lofgren the doors to the Capitol were locked and "nobody can get in". Telephone logs show Sund had been coordinating additional resources from various agencies. Sund's first call was to the D.C. Metropolitan Police, who arrived within 15 minutes. Sund called Irving and Stenger at 12:58 and asked for an emergency declaration required to call in the National Guard; they told Sund they would "run it up the chain", but approval was withheld for over an hour. After his speech concluded at 1:00 p.m. Trump ordered his Secret Service detail to drive him to the Capitol. When they refused, Trump reportedly assaulted his Secret Service driver, lunging for the man's throat.
Around 1:12 p.m., reinforcements from the MPD, equipped with crowd control gear, arrived on the lower west terrace. From 1:25 to 1:28, three different groups of Proud Boys leaders were recorded marching in stack formations away from the newly reinforced police line. After about fifteen minutes of observing, the Proud Boys went back on the attack, targeting new access points that were poorly defended. Ronald Loehrke and other Proud Boys led a contingent to the east side of the Capitol. Proud Boys again used distraction and teamwork to remove barricades, prompting the previously peaceful crowd on the east side to overrun barriers along the police line. On the west side, Joe Biggs led a team of Proud Boys that targeted the stairs covered by temporary scaffolding. Within minutes of Biggs's arrival, a team of Proud Boys approached the entrance to the scaffolding and attacked police. Proud Boy Daniel "Milkshake" Scott led the charge, and a 20-minute battle for the scaffolding ensued. At 1:50 p.m., the on-scene MPD incident commander declared a riot. At 1:58, Capitol Police officers removed a barricade on the northeast side of the Capitol, allowing hundreds of protestors to stream onto the grounds.
Attackers on west terrace breach Senate Wing hallway
Just before 2:00 p.m., attackers reached the doors and windows of the Capitol and attempted to break in. The Los Angeles Times observed that "whether by sheer luck, real-time trial and error, or advance knowledge", the first attackers to break through the police line onto the upper west terrace ran past 15 reinforced windows, "making a beeline" for the recessed area near the Senate where unreinforced windows and doors with unreinforced glass were the only protection from attack. At 2:11, Proud Boy leader Dominic Pezzola used a police riot shield to smash an un-reinforced window on the west side of the Capitol, breaching the building. By 2:13, the Capitol was breached. Although most of the Capitol's windows had been reinforced, attackers targeted those that remained as single-pane glass and could be broken easily. Joe Biggs and other Proud Boy leaders had entered the Capitol by 2:14. A news crew from ITV followed the rioters into the Capitol, the only broadcaster to do so. At 2:13, Pence was removed from the Senate chamber by a Secret Service agent, who brought him to an office about 100 feet (30 m) from the landing. Pence's wife Karen Pence, daughter Charlotte Pence Bond, and brother, Representative Greg Pence, were in the Capitol. As Pence and his family were escorted from the Senate chamber to a nearby hideaway, they came within a minute of being visible to rioters on a staircase 100 feet (30 m) away. Unaccompanied by other officers, Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman confronted the mob. He has been cited for heroism in baiting and diverting the rioters away from the Senate chamber in the minutes before the chamber could be safely evacuated. As the crowd of rioters reached a landing from which there was an unimpeded path to the chamber, Goodman pushed the lead attacker, Doug Jensen, and then deliberately retreated away from the chamber, enticing the crowd to chase him in another direction. One media report described his actions as follows:
In short, he tricked them, willingly becoming the rabbit to their wolf pack, pulling them away from the chambers where armed officers were waiting, avoiding tragedy and saving lives. Lives which include their own. Those present, including legislators and members of the press, praised Goodman for his quick thinking and brave actions. Senator Ben Sasse credited Goodman with having "single-handedly prevented untold bloodshed". Goodman's actions were captured in video footage. The footage of Goodman went viral on the internet, receiving more than 10 million views. A second video of Goodman's confrontation with the crowd was published. Goodman was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Evacuation of leadership amid Capitol lockdown
At 2:13, the Senate recessed, and the doors were locked. A minute later, the rioters reached the doors to the gallery above the chamber. Banging could be heard from outside as rioters attempted to break through the doors. Speaker Pelosi was escorted out of the House chamber. A police officer carrying a semi-automatic weapon appeared on the floor and stood between Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and minority leader Chuck Schumer. Senator Mitt Romney exasperatedly threw up his hands and criticized fellow Republicans challenging Biden's electoral votes, yelling to them, "This is what you've gotten, guys". Members of Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough's staff carried the boxes of Electoral College votes and documentation out of the chamber to hidden safe rooms.
At 2:26, Pence's Secret Service detail evacuated him and his family from their hideaway near the Senate downstairs, towards a secure location. After his evacuation, Pence's detail wanted to move him from the Capitol building, but Pence refused to get in the car. Addressing the agent in charge of his detail, Tim Giebels, Pence said, "I trust you, Tim, but you're not driving the car. If I get in that vehicle, you guys are taking off. I'm not getting in the car". All buildings in the complex were subsequently locked down, with no entry or exit allowed. Capitol staff were asked to shelter in place; those outside were advised to "seek cover". As the mob roamed the Capitol, lawmakers, aides, and staff took shelter in offices and closets. Aides to Mitch McConnell, barricaded in a room just off a hallway, heard a rioter outside the door "praying loudly", asking for "the evil of Congress [to] be brought to an end". The rioters entered and ransacked the office of the Senate Parliamentarian. With senators still in the chamber, Trump called Senator Tommy Tuberville and told him to do more to block the counting of Biden's electoral votes, but the call had to be cut off when the Senate chamber was evacuated at 2:30. After evacuation, the mob took control of the chamber, with armed men carrying plastic handcuffs and others posing with raised fists on the Senate dais Pence had left minutes earlier. Staff and reporters were taken by secure elevators to the basement, to a bunker constructed following the attempted attack on the Capitol in 2001. Evacuees were redirected en route after the bunker was infiltrated by the mob. The Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, Michael C. Stenger, accompanied a group of senators, including Lindsey Graham and Joe Manchin, to a secure location in a Senate office building. Once safe, the lawmakers were "furious" with Stenger; Graham asked him, "How does this happen? How does this happen?" and added that they "[are] not going to be run out by a mob". Meanwhile, the House recessed at 2:18. Amid the security concerns, Representative Dean Phillips yelled, "This is because of you!" at his Republican colleagues. According to her book, Oath and Honor, "[t]he C-SPAN cameras captured [Representative Cheney] as [she] pointed at [Representative Jason Smith] and said 'You did this.' [She] was angry. 'You did this.'" The House resumed debate at 2:26. After Gosar finished, the House again went into recess at 2:29 after rioters entered the House wing and attempted to enter the Speaker's Lobby just outside the chamber. Lawmakers were still inside and being evacuated, with Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, and others taken to a secure location. With violence breaking out, Capitol security advised members of Congress to take cover. Members of Congress inside the House chamber were told to don gas masks as law enforcement began using tear gas within the building. ABC News reported that shots were fired within the Capitol. An armed standoff took place at the front door of the chamber of the House of Representatives: as the mob attempted to break in, federal law enforcement officers inside drew their guns and pointed them toward the doors, which were barricaded with furniture. In a stairway, one officer fired a shot at a man coming toward him. Photographer Erin Schaff said that, from the Capitol Rotunda, she ran upstairs, where rioters grabbed her press badge. Police found her, and because her pass had been stolen, held her at gunpoint before colleagues intervened. The chief of staff for Representative Ayanna Pressley claimed that when the congresswoman and staff barricaded themselves in her office and attempted to call for help with duress buttons they had used during safety drills, "[e]very panic button...had been torn out – the whole unit". A Democratic aide to the House Administration Committee emailed Greg Sargent of The Washington Post claiming the missing buttons were due to a "clerical screw-up" resulting from Pressley's swapping offices. Representative Jamaal Bowman tweeted that there were no duress buttons in his office, but acknowledged he was only three days into his term and the buttons were installed a week later. Multiple rioters, using the cameras on their cell phones, documented themselves occupying the Capitol and the offices of representatives, vandalizing the offices of Speaker Pelosi, accessing secure computers, and stealing a laptop.
=== Oath Keepers arrive and breach Rotunda === Shortly after 2:00, Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes arrived on the restricted Capitol grounds. At 2:30, a team of Oath Keepers ("Stack One", which included Meggs, Harrelson, Watkins, Hackett, and Moerschel), clad in paramilitary clothing, marched in a stack formation up the east steps to join the mob already besieging the Capitol. At 2:38, those doors to the Capitol Rotunda were breached, and "Stack One" entered the building alongside other attackers. A second group ("Stack Two") entered the Capitol through those same doors at 3:15. Throughout the attack, Oath Keepers maintained a "Quick reaction Force" ready to deliver an arsenal to the group if called upon. Meanwhile, also at 2:38, Proud Boy founder Enrique Tarrio made a social media post writing, "Don't fucking leave". In response to a member who asked "Are we a militia yet?", Tarrio replied, "Yep... Make no mistake... We did this..."