Vance insists Trump had no role in January 6 attack, calls Capitol rioters 'knuckleheads'

Donald Trump 's running mate, JD Vance , said on Sunday that while a riot occurred on January 6 following Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election, there was still a "peaceful" transfer of power. Speaking at a rally, Vance claimed that the former president had no role in the violence, and he referred to those involved in the attack as "a few knuckleheads" who did "something they shouldn’t do."

“Yes, there was a riot at the Capitol on January 6, but there was still a peaceful transfer of power in this country, and that is always going to happen. Donald Trump’s committed to it. The fact that a few knuckleheads went off and did something they shouldn’t do, that’s not on Trump, that’s on them,” Vance said.

Vance: Yes, there was a riot at the Capitol on January 6th but there was still a peaceful transfer of power pic.twitter.com/FSu10WbTrP

— Acyn (@Acyn) October 12, 2024

The January 6 insurrection saw supporters of then-president Donald Trump storm the US Capitol, attempting to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. The event led to multiple deaths and widespread damage, but ultimately the certification proceeded.

In previous interviews, Vance has dodged direct questions regarding whether he believes Trump lost the 2020 election, instead shifting the conversation to issues like censorship and border control. During one interview, when asked multiple times about Trump's loss, Vance remarked, “There’s an obsession with 2020, I’m much more concerned about what happened after 2020.”

“There’s an obsession here with focusing on 2020. I’m much more worried about what happened after 2020, which is a wide-open border, groceries that are unaffordable,” Vance said.