Watch Wednesday's pro-Trump assault on the Capitol unfold in under 5 minutes

(Image credit: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

last updated 7 January 2021

Wednesday, Jan. 6, appears destined to go down in the annals of U.S. history, and not in a good way. After President Trump spoke at a rally of supporters, urging them to march to the Capitol, the crowd did so, broke through barriers, pushed past police, and ransacked the complex, sending lawmakers into hiding and delaying the ceremonial count of President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the Electoral College for a couple of hours. The Washington Post gathered together the day's major events, briefly laying them out in chronological order.

How the U.S. Capitol went from a joint session of Congress to chaos - YouTube

Watch On

The Wall Street Journal's Catherine Lucey narrated the Journal's play-by-play of Wednesday's momentous event, also in less than 5 minutes. You can watch that extra context below. Peter Weber

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Mob Forces Way Into Capitol, Prompting Lockdown | WSJ - YouTube

Watch On

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.