Raw Video Shows Trump Ad Libbing Statement To Supporters – Deadline

The House Committee holding hearings into the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol today released never-before-seen raw video of then-president Donald Trump ad libbing in a video posted to supporters as they ransacked the building.

While the entire country saw the final product, the unedited video released today shows a very intense Trump, initially distracted by someone in the frame behind him, doing multiple takes of the speech. As he speaks, Trump deviates from text, which was carefully-written to quell the rioters who’d breached the building where Congress was certifying the election.

In fact, the speech Trump delivered bore very little resemblance to the final text that he had approved, according to the House Committee. He inserts statements of empathy for his supporters and, instead of denouncing violence unequivocally, he asks for peace because, “We can’t play into the hands of these people.”

Among his ad libs, right at the top of the speech, was a repetition of the lie that the election had been stolen: “We had an election that was stolen from us.” Trump repeated the assertion again at the end of the short video, another major deviation from the text he had already approved.

Asked whether in his opinion Trump used any of the written remarks, tFormer Assistant to the President Nicholas Luna told the committee, “To my knowledge it was off the cuff.”

here’s raw footage of Trump trying to film his infamous January 6 video message and ad libbing as he goes pic.twitter.com/rQmkTD36DF

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 22, 2022

Here is what was assumed to be the final text of the statement Trump was to give that evening, according to documents obtained by the January 6 panel:

I urge all of my supporters to do exactly what 99% of them have already been doing — express their passions and opinions PEACEFULLY.

My supporters have a right to make their voices heard, but make no mistake — NO ONE should be using violence or threats of violence to express themselves. Especially at the U.S. Capitol. Let’s respect our institutions. Let’s all do better.

I am asking you to leave the Capitol Hill region NOW and go home in a peaceful way.