As a joint session of Congress convened to certify Joe Biden's presidential election victory, thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump breached security barriers and stormed the US Capitol building, some engaging in violent clashes with police. Lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence were evacuated, five people died in connection with the events, and Congress ultimately reconvened that night to complete the certification.
The day began with a rally near the White House where Trump repeated false claims that the election had been stolen and urged supporters to march to the Capitol. What followed was the most serious assault on the seat of American government since the War of 1812: rioters smashed windows, breached doors, and rampaged through the Rotunda and Senate chamber, some carrying Confederate flags and zip ties, while lawmakers sheltered in place or were rushed to secure locations.
Inside, Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the joint session in his constitutional role, was evacuated moments before rioters reached the areas near the Senate chamber, some of whom chanted for his death over his refusal to overturn the election results. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died the following day after being assaulted; four other people died during the riot itself, including Ashli Babbitt, shot by police as she attempted to climb through a broken window.
Congress returned to the chamber after the building was cleared and, in the early hours of January 7, certified Biden's victory. The attack led to Trump's second impeachment, hundreds of subsequent criminal prosecutions of participants, and lasting debate over the fragility of American democratic institutions and the mechanisms for peaceful transfer of power.