White House condemns Capitol siege in brief statement that doesn't mention Trump
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany took the podium on Thursday to make a brief statement "on behalf of the entire White House," rather than "on behalf of the president" as usual.
In response to the mob of Trump supporters who broke into the Capitol building on Wednesday to block Congress from certifying the presidential election results, leaving four people dead, McEnany said the White House believes the "violence we saw yesterday at our nation's Capitol was appalling, reprehensible and antithetical to the American way."
"We condemn it — the president and this administration — in the strongest possible terms," she continued. She called for "those that broke the law" to be prosecuted. She did not mention that President Trump had encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol and "fight" the certification.
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.
McEnany then compared her condemnation of the Capitol rioters to her criticism of those who protested against racial injustice over the summer, noting that she supports only the right to "peaceably assemble" in both cases. "What we saw yesterday afternoon ... was not that," she said.
"Those who violently besieged our Capitol are the opposite of everything this administration stands for," she said, also insisting that White House staff is working "an orderly transition of power."
The statement was just under two minutes, did not mention Trump by name, and McEnany took no questions. Watch the full statement below. Summer Meza
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
Codeword: October 27, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Sudoku medium: October 27, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Proposed Trump-Putin talks in Budapest on holdSpeed Read Trump apparently has no concrete plans to meet with Putin for Ukraine peace talks
-
Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rivalSpeed Read Relative political unknown Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, was elected president
-
Madagascar president in hiding, refuses to resignSpeed Read Andry Rajoelina fled the country amid Gen Z protests and unrest
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel intercepts 2nd Gaza aid flotilla in a weekSpeed Read The Israeli military intercepted a flotilla of nine boats with 145 activists aboard along with medical and food aid
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
