Donald Trump pledged on Monday to liberate those imprisoned for their involvement in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol as one of his first actions if reelected, referring to them as “hostages.”
On January 6, 2021, rioters attacked the seat of US democracy, fuelled by the then-president’s fraudulent charges of voter fraud, in an attempt to prevent Joe Biden’s transition to power.
According to the most recent Justice Department numbers released last week, approximately 1,358 people have been charged in the intervening 38 months. Approximately 500 people have received prison sentences.
Trump made the comments on his Truth Social website, also threatening to close the border with Mexico as one of his first acts if reelected, but without providing any specifics.
“My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!” he wrote at the end of the day.
Trump has already spoken about his possible first day in office, promising during a televised town hall in December not to act like a tyrant “other than day one.”
It is not the first time Trump has referred to his imprisoned followers as “hostages” or recommended they be released.
During a campaign rally in Iowa in January, he begged President Biden to “release the J6 hostages, Joe”.
Trump is facing four felony indictments, including two — one federal and one in Georgia — resulting from his attempts to change the election results after losing to Biden.
Trump is almost certain to be the Republican presidential nominee now that his final surviving competitor, Nikki Haley, has dropped out of the race following his dominant victories in the primaries.
Trump maintains that his numerous legal troubles have boosted, not harmed, his support among his Republican base.