Trump Calls January 6 ‘A Beautiful Day’

While continually refusing to admit he lost the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump called January 6, 2021, “a beautiful day” during his first CNN appearance since 2016.

“CNN This Morning” anchor Kaitlan Collins moderated the town hall-style event Wednesday night at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, in the state set to host the first 2024 GOP presidential primary. Trump’s appearance on the network sparked calls for a boycott after CNN proceeded with the event despite a New York City jury finding the former president liable for sexual assault and defamation.

Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination, fielded a slew of questions from Collins and members of the audience, which consisted of Republicans and undecided voters.

Former President Donald Trump on May 1 disembarks his plane “Trump Force One” at Aberdeen Airport in Scotland. During a CNN town hall-style event Wednesday night, Trump called January 6, 2021, “a beautiful day.” Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

Newsweek has reached out via email to CNN and representatives for Trump.

When questioned about his influence on his supporters, the former president didn’t deny it. Collins asked Trump if he had any regrets over his actions surrounding January 6, 2021, the day his followers sieged the U.S. Capitol. Trump faces federal investigations over efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 attack. Hundreds have been charged in the riot, while being hailed by some conservatives as “patriots” in what others called a failed coup attempt. Several people died and nearly 140 police officers were injured in the riot.

Trump, who has long expressed support for the Capitol rioters, including saying he’d look into issuing full pardons if he wins reelection, praised the “largest crowd” he’s ever addressed as “proud.” He said they protested because they agreed “the election was rigged.”

“They were there with love in their heart,” he said, while ignoring the day’s violence. “That was unbelievable. And it was a beautiful day.”

An undeclared voter from Concord asked the MAGA leader if he will “suspend polarizing talk of election fraud” during his presidential campaign. Trump responded with “yeah,” but with a condition.

“If I see election fraud, I think I have an obligation to say it,” the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination said.

He said he hopes for “very honest elections” in the future, then turned to calling for voter identification requirements and the end of absentee voting or mail-in ballots.

Collins asked Trump numerous times to cease his claims that the 2020 election was stolen or rigged and called on him to publicly acknowledge his loss on the spot. He evaded the question by repeating his usual claims, saying, “It’s a shame what happened.”

“It’s a very sad thing for our country,” Trump said. “I think it’s a very sad thing, frankly, for the world because if you look at what’s going on to our country, our country has gone to hell.”

President Joe Biden, who recently announced he’s seeking a second term, slammed his potential rival and his followers on Twitter where the Democrat shared a video of Trump’s “beautiful day” comments with violent footage from the Capitol riot.

“There were not fine people on both sides of Charlottesville. The January 6th rioters were not good people. End of story,” Biden said on Twitter.

Frequent Trump critic, former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, tweeted her outrage over the former president’s January 6 comments, saying he didn’t wield his influence over his supporters for several hours as the mob rampaged through the Capitol.

“On Jan 6, Donald Trump refused for over three hours to tell the violent mob to leave the Capitol, despite pleas from his White House staff, members of his family and many others,” the Wyoming Republican said on Twitter. “No matter how many times he lies about this, the facts won’t change. He is unfit for any office.”

MAGA ally Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene praised Trump on Twitter, calling him “unstoppable” in a tweet with a video clip of his comments on the January 6 attack.

“President Trump disproves the CNN lie right on stage. Pulls out the receipts! This man is unstoppable,” the Georgia Republican said.