How a Presidential Rally Turned Into a Capitol Rampage (Published 2021) (2024)

When President Trump railed against the election results from a stage near the White House on Wednesday, his loyalists were already gathering at the Capitol. Soon, they would storm it. We analyzed a crucial two-hour period to reconstruct how a rally gave way to a mob that nearly came face to face with Congress.

The day’s events were captured by protesters and witnesses who live-streamed the action or posted the scenes on social media. The footage shows the simultaneous and alternating perspectives of Mr. Trump at the podium, the lawmakers inside the Capitol and the swelling numbers — and growing violence — of the rioters on the ground.

For weeks, Mr. Trump had urged his supporters to go to Washington to stop the certification of the election results, and several simultaneous rallies were planned for Wednesday.

As the morning arrives, hundreds assemble on the Capitol lawn, more than a mile away from where Trump will soon speak near the White House. Among them are the Proud Boys, a far-right group, identifiable here by their orange hats.

At the same time, near the White House, Donald Trump Jr. films the president and his inner circle backstage before his father’s speech. In a video uploaded to his Facebook page, they are listening to the song “Gloria” and marveling at the size of the crowd.

About 15 minutes into his speech, Mr. Trump tells rally attendees to walk to the Capitol. “You have to show strength,” he says.

At this moment, the Capitol grounds are protected by temporary perimeter fences, and there are few officers equipped to defend them.

Supporters leave the rally in a steady stream before Mr. Trump’s speech ends, and they head toward the Capitol.

As they arrive, another crowd of Trump supporters that has already gathered along the west perimeter fence becomes more agitated.

Around this time, a pipe bomb is reported at the Republican National Committee building, just a block away from the Capitol. Not long after, another device is discovered nearby at the Democratic National Committee headquarters.

About 20 minutes before Trump’s speech ends, some people in the Capitol crowd harass officers posted at the barricades and start to get physical. Others follow suit, until they violently overwhelm the police and breach the building’s outer perimeter.

The mob quickly breaks through three additional barricades, forcing officers back onto the west Capitol steps.

Once at the steps, the group clashes with a small contingent of officers. After a few minutes, Capitol Police officers in riot gear arrive to help control the crowd.

At this time, the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, begins the proceedings to certify the Electoral College vote at a joint session of Congress, alongside Vice President Mike Pence.

Outside, the chants begin: “Whose house? Our house!”

As Mr. Trump’s speech comes to an end, he calls on his supporters to “walk down Pennsylvania Avenue” toward the Capitol. Rioters there continue to violently clash with officers, including reinforcements from the local police department who have arrived on the scene. Both sides spray chemical agents.

Inside the Capitol, members of Congress seem unaware of the extent of the violence outside. The House and Senate have moved to their separate chambers to debate certifying the vote. Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, argues that the Senate should not certify Arizona’s electoral votes.

A minute later, Chief Steven Sund of the Capitol Police makes the request for immediate assistance from the D.C. National Guard. Outside, rioters tear through scaffolding in front of the Capitol’s northwest steps and make their way closer to the building.

On the east side of the Capitol, where the police presence is much smaller, another mob is about to reach the doors of the building.

The police remove a barricade at the northeast corner of the building after violent confrontations between officers and the crowd.

A YouTube live stream captures the exact moment a massive crowd also breaches a separate, larger barricade on the east side. This is the last physical barrier protecting that side of the Capitol.

Back on the northwest side of the Capitol, another YouTube livestream captures the mob chasing officers up the steps and breaching the final barrier on that side.

Violent clashes with the police have been ongoing for more than an hour by the time the mob finally breaks through.

The mob approaches an entrance near the Senate chamber, one floor below where senators continue to debate.

Rioters surround the building on both sides, but there’s no indication that the lawmakers inside know the extent of the breach. As the mob approaches the doors of the Senate wing, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona, urges her colleagues to “reject this meritless challenge and uphold the will of Arizona’s voters.”

Rioters on the west side break into the building around 2:11 p.m. Two minutes later, as they reach the stairs next to the Senate chamber, the Senate is called into recess.

Rioters continue to stream into the building. They enter through a door and a broken window on the northwest side.

Rioters chase an officer to the top of a staircase where there are entrances to the Senate chamber in both directions.

The officer leads the rioters one way, and backup arrives — while the police inside the chamber are still trying to lock the doors.

Now rioters stand off with the police in the hall, feet away from the entrance to the Senate chamber. Senators are still milling about inside.

More than five minutes after the first rioters break into the building, the House also goes into recess. Now, the police are clashing with the mob inside the building as some members of Congress are able to evacuate. Others are trapped inside while rioters pound on the doors.

Outside the building, the crowd grows as attendees from President Trump’s rally continue to stream in. The mob becomes more violent, dragging and beating officers.

Three hours will pass before the sergeant-at-arms declares the building secure.