STATEMENT: Americans Must Never Forget Trump’s Role in Jan. 6 Insurrection

Washington, D.C. — On the fifth anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:

This anniversary is a reminder of how close we came to losing American democracy five years ago. As we begin 2026, this will be a critical year to see if the 250-year-old American democratic experiment can survive. Donald Trump can try to downplay his central role in the January 6 insurrection and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, but history will never forget how he tried to subvert the will of the people. We can never forget the violence and chaos of that day as Trump sat watching the attack on live TV for 187 minutes without acting to stop it.

As President Trump continues to call our elections into doubt, actively taking steps to interfere with the 2026 midterm election, Americans must reject these efforts and let Trump know they won’t stand for it. We must do everything we can to protect against authoritarianism and abuse of the law.

For more information, or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].