Trump has shown no remorse for Capitol riot, report says

Adviser to former president says he 'loved' watching mob on 6 January

Former President Donald Trump has reportedly still not expressed remorse for the siege at the US Capitol on 6 January.

A pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol on that day, causing House members to barricade themselves inside offices to hide from the rioters.

Five people died and several more were injured in the insurrection. A week later, and a week before leaving office, Mr Trump was impeached by the House for the second time for inciting the riots at a “Save America” rally nearby.

When asked by CNN on Wednesday if the former president has shown remorse for the riots, a source close to Mr Trump laughed and said there is no greater offence to him than saying “sorry”.

Read more: Follow live Trump impeachment updates

Another adviser told CNN that Mr Trump wanted to see a show of force from his supporters at the “Save America” rally.

“Trump likes force. He saw people forcefully fighting for him,” the adviser claimed, while a former senior White House official added that Mr Trump was “loving” watching the mob on that day.

The former president has still not publicly shown remorse for the Capitol riots or condemned the violence that was carried out by some of his supporters.

At the rally on 6 January, Mr Trump urged the crowd to “walk down to the Capitol” and added: “You have to show strength, and you have to be strong,” while falsely indicating that he would be joining them.

Of the more than 200 rioters arrested in the weeks since the siege, at least 15 individuals who stormed the Capitol have claimed that they did so based on encouragement from Mr Trump, according to ABC News.

One of those 15 rioters, Jacob Chansely, also known as the QAnon Shaman, has revealed that he is willing to testify against Mr Trump at his impeachment trial about how his words at the rally resonated with him.

“He heard the words of the president. He believed them. He genuinely believed him,” Mr Chansley's lawyer, Al Watkins, told ABC. “He thought the president was walking with him,” he added.

Mr Trump’s Senate impeachment trial began on 9 February, with it expected to continue for around a couple of weeks. If he is convicted, then Mr Trump could be barred from running for President again.