Top Republicans are expressing unease after former President Donald Trump announced his plan to deliver a speech on the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in which he will reiterate his baseless claims that Democrats engaged in a widespread campaign of voter fraud to steal the 2020 election.
Republican Senators Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Pat Toomey (Pa.), John Cornyn (Texas), Tim Scott (S.C.), and John Thune (S.D.) all either declined to comment on the upcoming speech or said it would be an unwelcome distraction from more important issues, Politico reported Tuesday.
"I don't think that's a good idea," said Moore Capito. "I think the country has moved on," said Cornyn. Toomey said the event isn't a "terribly good idea," but remarked, "What am I going to do about it?," per Politico.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a frequent critic of the former president, said Sunday on Face the Nation it was "very concerning" but "not surprising" that Trump would continue to repeat claims that "caused violence," Newsweek reported.
Alyssa Farah, who served as director of strategic communications for the Trump administration, told CNN that Jan. 6 would be "a wise day for [Trump] to stay silent."
These remarks are indicative of an ongoing tension within the GOP. Most Republican lawmakers are unwilling to openly defy Trump, who remains a powerful kingmaker and, should he run, the party's likely 2024 nominee. At the same time, many are also hesitant to offer their full-throated support to the former president's stolen election claims.
Trump announced the speech in a Dec. 21 statement posted on his official website, pledging to address the "rigged" election. He also criticized Republicans who refuse to pursue investigations based on his claims of voter fraud. "In many ways a RINO is worse than a Radical Left Democrat," he wrote.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are also scheduled to deliver remarks, doubtless of a very different tenor, on Jan. 6.
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful northThe Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for coup attemptSpeed Read Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting to stay in power following his 2022 election loss
-
Calls for both calm and consequences follow Kirk killingTALKING POINTS The suspected assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has some public figures pleading for restraint, while others agitate for violent reprisals
-
Why does Donald Trump keep showing up at major sporting events?Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purgeSpeed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ousterSpeed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
