Biden: Black Lives Matter protesters would have been treated 'very differently' than Capitol 'domestic terrorists'

President-elect Joe Biden
(Image credit: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday condemned the "domestic terrorists" who rioted at the Capitol building this week while arguing Black Lives Matter protesters would have been treated "very differently" by law enforcement.

Biden spoke after a mob of Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday on what the president-elect described as "one of the darkest days" in American history. The Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while Congress was meeting to certify Biden's election win, which Trump has falsely claimed to be fraudulent.

"They weren't protesters," Biden said. "Don't dare call them protesters. They were a riotous mob, insurrectionists, domestic terrorists. It's that basic. It's that simple. And I wish we could say we couldn't see it coming, but that isn't true. We could see it coming."

Subscribe to 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.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Biden went on to slam Trump for "inciting a mob to attack the Capitol" in an attempt to "silence" the voice of voters, describing Wednesday's events as the "culmination" of his "unrelenting attack" on the "institutions of our democracy." He also took issue with the response of law enforcement, contending it would have been different had those rioting been from Black Lives Matter.

"No one can tell me that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday, they wouldn't have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol," Biden said. "We all know that's true, and it is unacceptable. Totally unacceptable." Brendan Morrow

See more
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.