Donald Trump has long defended his supporters who broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6. He took it a step further in new interview audio published Friday morning by Axios, defending those among them who were chanting for Mike Pence to be hanged.
“Well, the people were very angry,” he told Jonathan Karl, whose new book Betrayal chronicles the final days of the Trump’s time in office. “Because it’s common sense that you’re supposed to protect … If you know a vote if fraudulent, how can you pass along a fraudulent vote to Congress?
When I interviewed Trump for "Betrayal" and asked him about his supporters chanting "Hang Mike Pence", he didn't condemn them, he defended them. Here's a clip from the interview. More audio from the genuinely shocking interview will air Sunday on @ThisWeekABC pic.twitter.com/MlnhTgw8Cu
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) November 12, 2021
Pence of course did not know the election was fraudulent, probably because no evidence had or has emerged indicating any resembling significant fraud occurred. Reality is an afterthought, though. Trump wanted Pence to somehow stop the certification of the election results, and Pence betrayed Trump by failing to find a way to overturn democracy.
“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!” Trump tweeted on the afternoon of the riot.
His supporters weren’t fans, either, with many of them breaking into the “Hang Mike Pence!” They even set up a gallows.
Trump reportedly didn’t call Pence on Jan. 6 or in the days following Jan. 6 to ensure he was safe. Karl previously reported that Pence was “holed up” in a basement for hours during the attack.
