The Many Stars Who Condemned The Violence In Washington
The world watched as violence erupted in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, after hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building, breaching security checkpoints and wreaking havoc inside while a joint session of Congress was underway to certify the election results in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.
Biden spoke to the nation in a live address amid the chaos, imploring Trump to stop his supporters from doing any further damage, saying, "I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege." (via LAist). After a few hours with no word from President Trump, aside from a few tweets, Trump released a pre-recorded video where he continued to claim faulty election results, saying, "This was a fraudulent election, but we can't play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you, you're very special." (via Variety).
President-elect Biden wasn't the only one to speak out against the chaos on the Capitol Building; many stars took to social media to condemn the situation in the nation's capital. Here's what they said.
Karlie Kloss, Alec Baldwin and many others reacted to Trump supporters storming the Capitol Building
The world was watching as this chaos in Washington, D.C. unfolded live. That included celebrities, many of whom rarely keep their feelings about Trump to themselves. Mindy Kaling thanked Stacey Abrams for her political contribution while addressing the violence, tweeting, "There may be jaw-dropping, unlawful, Un-American acts being perpetrated in our capitol today, but what will last, when the dust of today has settled, is the work of this true patriot. @staceyabrams". Chloe Grace Moretz noted the stark contrast of the treatment of the Black Lives Matter protesters, writing, "Peaceful protesters during BLM were beaten, tear gassed, arrested , treated with BRUTALITY and you're telling me that the capitol is being stormed and there is hardly any show of force to stop it ? This speaks for itself."
Alec Baldwin, who regularly spoofs President Trump on Saturday Night Live, tweeted, "How many chances did Trump have to heal the damage that he himself promulgated? He had many chances. But Trump is a psychotic maniac. So...". Karlie Kloss, who is married to and expecting her first child with Josh Kushner (Jared Kushner's brother), tweeted, "Accepting the results of a legitimate democratic election is patriotic. Refusing to do so and inciting violence is anti-American." When a Twitter user commented asking her to tell her sister-in-law and brother-in-law that, she replied, "I've tried."
Many celebrities blamed President Trump for fueling the fires of the riot
Many more stars took to social media to criticize Trump for inciting the violence. Actor Sean Penn wrote, "Hell hath no fury like a narcissist scorned." Ashton Kutcher tweeted, "Support the peaceful transition of power!!!!!!!! That's being a patriot!" Grammy-award winning musician Stevie Wonder criticized President Trump on Twitter, blaming him for what happened, writing, "I am heartbroken and astounded that this narcissistic and dangerous president would put lives in danger and encourage violent sedition against our government. That man is no longer able to serve as President because he can't accept defeat. Can we afford 2 more weeks? I say NO!"
Many stars called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president to temporarily become president if the president can no longer do their job. Actor Mark Ruffalo, for example, tweeted, "25th Amendment! That's the Tweet. #CoupAttempt". Singer Antia Baker tweeted, "25th amendment. he has lost/abandoned his ability to Govern..." Other stars, though, felt that the blame laid with more people than just those in the Trump administration.
Stars call on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram to lock President Trump's account
Others called on social media platforms to stop fueling the fires of hate and violence. Selena Gomez, who has been a vocal critic of Facebook, tagged Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google, and their executives and wrote, "Today is the result of allowing people with hate in their hearts to use platforms that should be used to bring people together and allow people to build community." Star of Borat 2 Sacha Baron Cohen called for the social media platforms to block President Trump's account, tweeting, "Hey Mark Zuckerberg, @jack, @SusanWojcicki and @sundarpichai — Donald Trump just incited a violent attack on American democracy. Is that FINALLY enough for you to act?! It's time to ban Donald Trump from your platforms once and for all!"
The social media platforms then locked President Trump's Twitter account for 12 hours, and threatened to lock it permanently if the tweets were not removed. The Twitter safety account tweeted, "As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy." In a second tweet, the account wrote, "This means that the account of @realDonaldTrump will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these Tweets. If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked." Facebook and Instagram, per the BBC, also suspended Trump for 24 hours.