Donald Trump issued a tweet that would galvanizes followers unleash
a political firestorm and change the course of our history as a country.
Trump's purpose was to mobilize a crowd. And how do you mobilize
a crowd in 2020?
With millions of followers on Twitter. President Trump knew exactly
how to do it at 1 42 am on December 1920 20 Shortly after the last
participants left the unhinged meeting Trump sent out the tweet.
With his explosive invitation.
Trump repeated his big lie and claimed it was quote statistically
impossible to have lost the 2020 election before calling for a big
protest in DC on January 6th.
Be there will be wild.
Trump supporters responded immediately.
Women for America First pro Trump organizing Group had previously
applied for rally permit for January 22nd and 23rd in Washington,
D. C several days after Joe Biden was to be inaugurated.
But in the hours after the tweet, they moved their permit to January
6th two weeks before this rescheduling created the rally where Trump
Would eventually speak.
The next day.
Olly Alexander, leader of the Stop the Steal Organization in the
key, Mobilize er of Trump supporters registered wild protest dot
com, named after Trump's tweet
Wild protest dot com provided comprehensive information about numerous
newly organized protest events in Washington. It included event times,
places, speakers in details.
On transportation in Washington, DC, Meanwhile, other key trump supporters,
including far right media personalities, began promoting the wild
protest on January 6th.
It's Saturday, December 19th. The year is 2020.
And one of the most historic events in American history has just
taken place.
President Trump in the early morning hours today.
Tweeted that he wants the American people to March on Washington
D. C on January 6th 2021 Now Donald Trump.
Is calling on his supporters to descend on Washington, D C January
6th. He is now
Calling on we the people to take action and to show our numbers were
going to only be saved by millions of Americans moving to Washington.
Occupying the entire area, if if necessary, storming right into the
capital.
No there. We know the rules of engagement. If you have enough people,
you can push down any kind of a fence or a wall. This could be Trump's
last stand.
And it's a time when he has specifically called on his supporters
to arrive in DC That's something that may actually be the big push
Trump supporters need to say this is it?
It's now or never better understand something, son. You better understand
something. Red Wave bitch. Red white. There's gonna be a red wedding
going down January 6th On that day, Trump says, show up for a protest.
It's gonna be wild.
And based on what we've already seen from the previous events, I
think Trump is absolutely correct, Motherfucker. You better look
outside. You better look at the January 6th kick that fucking door
open! Look down the street. There's gonna be a million plus geeked
up or the Americans. Time for games is over. The time for action
is now
Where were you? When history called? Where were you when you and
your Children's destiny and future was on the line.
In that clip you heard one of Trump's supporters predict a red wedding,
which is a pop culture reference to mass slaughter. But the point
is that Trump's call to Washington reverberated powerfully and pervasively
online.
The committee has interviewed a former Twitter employee who explained
to the effect that Trump had on the Twitter platform. This employee
was on the team responsible for platform and content moderation policies
on Twitter throughout 2020.
In 2021. The employee testified that Twitter considered adopting
a stricter content moderation policy after President Trump told the
proud boys to stand back and stand by from the lectern at the September
29th presidential debate.
But Twitter chose not to act. Here's the former employee whose voice
has been obscured to protect their identity, discussing Trump's stand
back and stand by comment in the affected had
My concern.
Was that the former president?
Four, seemingly the first time was speaking directly to extremist
organizations.
Um, in giving them directives.
Um
We had not seen that sort of direct communication before.
Um and
Dot concerned me so just to clarify further, Um you were worried,
and others on Twitter were worried that the president might use
Your platform to speak directly to folks who might be incited to
violence.
I believe that Twitter relished in
The knowledge that they were also be
Favorite and most of the used service of, um the former president
and enjoyed having
That sort of power within the social media ecosystem if President
Trump or anyone else
Would it have taken until January 2021 for him to be suspended?
Absolutely not.
If Donald former President Donald Trump or any other user on Twitter,
he would have been permanently suspended a very long time ago.
Despite these grave concerns, Trump remained on the platform completely
unchecked.
Then came the December 19th tweet and everything it inspired.
Indeed, it was told us if, um
Okay?
Came out was being organized. Um, and they work.
Gathering together their weaponry and their logic, um, and
their reasonings behind why they were prepared to fight.
Um, prior to December, 18th.
Um again. They wouldn't. It was vague. Um, it was it was non
specific, but very clear that
Individuals were ready, willing and able to take up arms.
How stupid this tweet On December 19th again it became clear
No. Only were these individuals ready and willing
But the leader of the bill cause
Was asking those to join him and this cause and then fighting for
this cause and DC on January six as well.
I will also say what shocked me was the responses to these tweets,
right? So these were a lot of the locks and motive stand back stand
by those tweets or in response to Donald Trump, saying things like
this right, so there would be a response that said
Big protest that you see on January 6th be there be wild. And someone
really respond and say I'm locked and loaded and ready for Civil
war Part two, right? You very much believe Donald Trump posting this
tweet on December, 19th was essentially
Speaking of flag in D. C on January 6th for his supporters to come
and rally and you were concerned about the potential for this.
Gathering becoming violent.
Absolutely.
Indeed, many of Trump's followers took to social media to declare
that they were ready to answer Trump's call.
One user asked.
Is the sixth d Day is that why Trump wants everyone there?
Another asserted.
Trump just told us all to come Armed. Fucking a. This is happening.
The third took it even further.
It will be wild means we need volunteers for the firing squad.
Jim Watkins, the owner of eight Kun, the fringe online forum that
was birthplace of the
Cuban on extremist movement confirmed the importance of Trump's tweet.
Why did you first decide to go to D. C for January? 6th when? When
the president of the United States announced that he was going to
have a rally, and I bought tickets, and when
Watkins was at the Capitol on January 6th.
Some who have since been indicted for their
Involvement in the attack on the capital also responded one of them
posted on the 19th.
Quote.
Calling all Patriots be in Washington, D C January 6th.
This wasn't organized by any group D J T has invited us and it's
going to be wild. Some of the online rhetoric turned openly homicidal.
And white nationalist, such as
Why don't we just kill them? Every last Democrat down to the last
man, woman and child?
And it's time for the day of the rope. White revolution is the only
solution.
Others realized that police would be
Standing in the way of their effort to overturn the election. So
one wrote
I'm ready to die for my beliefs. Are you ready to die? Police?
Another road on the donald dot win.
Cops don't have standing if they're laying on the ground in a pool
of their own blood.
The Donald Darwin was an openly racist and anti Semitic forum.
The Select Committee deposed that site's founder, Jody Williams.
He confirmed how the president's tweet created a laser like focus
on the date of January, the sixth
People have been talking about going to D. C as since the election
was over.
And do you recall whether or not the conversation around those dates
centered on the sixth after the president's tweet?
Oh, sure. Yeah. I mean, after it was announced that you know he was
going to be there on the sixth to talk. Yes. Then then anything else
was kind of shut out, and it was just going to be on the sixth.
Okay. And I was pretty clearly reflected in the content on the site.
Yeah, sure.
On that site, many shared plans and violent threats.
Bring handcuffs and wait near the tunnels, wrote one user comment
to replied, suggesting ZIP ties. Instead, one post encouraged others
to come with body armor, knuckles, shields, bats, pepper spray, whatever
it takes. All of those were used on the sixth.
The Post concluded. Join your local proud boys chapter as well.
The Donald Darwin featured discussions of the tunnels beneath the
Capitol complex suggestions for targeting members of Congress and
encouragement to attend.
This once in a lifetime event.
While Trump supporters grew more aggressive online, he continued
to rile up his base on Twitter.
He said there was overwhelming evidence that the election was the
biggest scam.
In our nation's history.
As you can see, the president continued to boost the event tweeting