Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
  • 3/25/2025
Here's how Republican senators reacted after a pro-Trump mob led an assault on the Capitol.
Transcript
00:00This isn't their Republican Party anymore.
00:07This is Donald Trump's Republican Party.
00:15I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it.
00:18From my point of view, he's been a consequential president.
00:21But today, first thing you'll see.
00:25All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.
00:30I've tried to be helpful.
00:32If you're a conservative, this is the most offensive concept in the world.
00:35That a single person could disenfranchise 155 million people.
00:41When it's over, it is over. It is over.
00:44The final thing. Joe Biden. I've traveled the world with Joe.
00:47I hoped he lost. I prayed he would lose. He won.
00:52He's the legitimate president of the United States.
00:55I cannot convince people, certain groups, by my words.
01:01But I will tell you by my actions.
01:04That maybe I, above all others in this body, need to say this.
01:09Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are lawfully elected.
01:15And will become the president and the vice president of the United States on January the 20th.
01:21The United States Senate will not be intimidated.
01:26We will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs, or threats.
01:36We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation.
01:42The United States and the United States Congress have faced down much greater threats than the unhinged crowd we saw today.
01:53We've never been deterred before.
01:56And will be not deterred today.
02:00They tried to disrupt our democracy.
02:04They failed.
02:06They failed.
02:08And we will certify the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
02:17And I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors.
02:24The violence, the lawlessness, and siege of the halls of Congress are abhorrent and stand as a direct attack on the very institution my objection was intended to protect.
02:36The sanctity of the American democratic process.
02:40And I thank law enforcement for keeping us safe.
02:44Too many Americans are frustrated at what they see as an unfair system.
02:48Nevertheless, there is no excuse for the events that took place in these chambers today.
02:53And I pray that America never suffers such a dark day again.
02:56If you're angry, I want to beg you.
02:59Don't let the screamers who monetize hate have the final word.
03:04Don't let nihilists become your drug dealers.
03:07There are some who want to burn it all down.
03:09We met some of them today, but they aren't going to win.
03:12Don't let them be your prophets.
03:14The best way we can show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth.
03:28That's the burden.
03:30That's the duty of leadership.
03:33The truth is that President-elect Biden won the election.
03:37President Trump lost.
03:39I've had that experience myself.
03:41It's no fun.
03:44Scores of courts, the president's own attorney general, state election officials,
03:48both Republican and Democrat have reached that unequivocal decision.

Recommended