Donald Trump began his campaign on January 6 in Iowa, the country's first presidential candidate state, promising to win "for the third time" as Americans marked the anniversary of the deadly attack by a mob of his supporters on the Capitol, reported AFP.
Three years ago, on January 6, 2021, many watched in horror as rioters, incited by the former president and fueled by his false claims of voter fraud, stormed the seat of American democracy in an attempt to stop the transfer of power.
In a rambling, two-hour speech to supporters in Newton, Iowa, Trump did not delve into the events of three years ago but referred to those jailed for their role in the attack as "hostages." He stated that if elected, he would pardon many of them.
The Republican mocked President Joe Biden, his presumptive rival in the November election.
He said Biden presided over the economic decline and wreaked havoc on the country's borders while failing to stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"I would have stopped Putin," the former president said.
Trump warned of World War III if Biden is re-elected, adding: "This is our last chance to save America."
Without abandoning the fiction that he won the 2020 election, Trump said that in November he would win "for the third time".
Having broken away from the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Trump has been impeached for inciting insurrection and has faced multiple felony charges for his conduct before and during the violence.
Biden, who sharply criticized his opponent in a Jan. 5 speech, has no public events planned for this weekend, the White House said.
Trump leads rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis by more than 30 points in Iowa, where the Jan. 15 race for the Republican nomination -- known as a "caucus" -- kicks off the 2024 primary election season.
The false claim that Democratic election theft led to Jan. 6 has become orthodoxy among many Republicans, and hardliners in Congress are promoting the fantasy that the chaos in the Capitol was a "false flag" operation by federal agents.
A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that 44 percent of Trump voters believe the FBI organized and encouraged the riot.
But polls also show that Democrats and independent lawmakers have a strong negative view of the insurgency and the insurgency, and Trump's role in encouraging it. "We will never forget the horrific events of January 6, 2021," the Democratic minority leader said. in the House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries and added that those responsible "must be held accountable because in this country no one is above the law."
Vice President Kamala Harris said on social media that the victory of those "who seek to dismantle our democracy" will bring violence and chaos./BGNES
