Trump condemns violence at US Capitol ‘in strongest possible terms’: Spokeswoman

Donald Trump’s spokeswoman said the president and his aides condemn rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, disrupting the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

“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,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a brief statement to reporters. She took no questions.

“Those who work in this building are working to ensure an orderly transition of power,” she said.

The president hasn’t personally condemned the mob’s actions and hasn’t been seen or heard in public since posting a video urging his supporters who invaded the Capitol to “go home.” Twitter removed the video -- which led off with Trump repeating false claims of election fraud and expressed sympathy toward the rioters -- and disabled his Twitter account.

Trump’s social media manager, Dan Scavino, posted a statement on Twitter early Thursday, after Congress returned to the Capitol and certified Biden’s victory, in which Trump said he would ensure an “orderly transition” even though he disputes the outcome of the election.

“What we saw yesterday was a group of violent rioters undermining the legitimate First Amendment rights of the many thousands who came to peacefully have their voices heard in our nation’s capital,” McEnany said. “Those who violently besieged our capital are the opposite of everything this administration stands for.”