News

The Wreckage: This Is What Trump's Mob Did to the Capitol

Images of a ransacked Capitol building paint a bleak picture of a nation in crisis.
TD
A flag that reads "Treason" is visible on the ground in the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday.
A flag that reads "Treason" is visible on the ground in the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) 

Four years of President Donald Trump repeatedly inciting his supporters to deny reality, resort to violence, and “take back” the country finally came to a violent head Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Hundreds of Trump’s most die-hard fans, fueled by unfounded conspiracy theories about a stolen election repeatedly touted by the president, managed to break into the Capitol, ransacking offices, climbing the walls of the legislative chambers, and clashing with law enforcement. At least four people died during the fray, one of whom was shot by police, in the first takeover of the nation’s seat of power in more than two centuries.

Advertisement

In the hours that followed the frenzied mob attack, legislators resumed debates and ultimately certified the election results. But the destruction and vandalism from just hours earlier was still very present: bullet-riddled windows and shattered glass, garbage strewn in the halls of Congress, and destroyed furniture.

Thursday morning, even as workers tried to clear the debris, evidence of the destruction could still be found. 

Here’s a closer look at the aftermath of Wednesday’s events.

AP_21007234983844.jpg

Damage is visible in the hallways in the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

GettyImages-1295053000.jpg

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 07: Members of U.S. Capitol Police inspect a damaged entrance of the U.S. Capitol January 7, 2021 in Washington, DC. The U.S. Congress has finished the certification for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ electoral college win after pro-Trump mobs stormed the Capitol and temporarily stopped the process. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

AP_21007224161440.jpg

Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

AP_21007233918883.jpg

Dust and a gas mask are visible on the ground in the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

GettyImages-1230469010.jpg

Workers clean damage near an overrun Capitol Police checkpoint a day after a pro-Trump mob broke into the US Capitol January 7, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

GettyImages-1230468476.jpg

A worker pushes a trash bin at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. Joe Biden was formally recognized by Congress as the next U.S. president early Thursday, ending two months of failed challenges by his predecessor, Donald Trump, that exploded into violence at the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers met to ratify the election result. Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tagged:Photophoto photoscongressdestruction
0
Advertisement