A mob whipped up by the President stormed police lines, smashed windows and broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to block lawmakers from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory. The violent scene, which called to mind images of coups in foreign lands, was a culmination of two months of “Stop the Steal” rallies, fueled by Donald Trump’s baseless allegations that widespread voter fraud had cost him the election. The President has repeatedly incited his supporters to challenge the peaceful transfer of power, the essential marker of democracy.
Two hours before the assault on the Capitol, Trump had vowed that he would “never concede,” and urged them to pressure Republican lawmakers “to take back our country.” When he finished, a crowd chanting, “Storm the Capitol!” proceeded to the iconic building, overwhelmed police and flooded inside. Inside the House Chamber, police officers shoved furniture to barricade the doors as Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers scrambled to evacuate. In the Senate, intruders dressed in everything from full body armor to a horned Viking cap posed for photos at the rostrum, fists raised. A red MAGA hat was planted on the head of a bronze statue of former President Gerald Ford in the Rotunda and a Trump flag placed in his hand. Shots were heard and a woman reported killed. As it all unfolded, control of the upper chamber moved from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party as, 600 miles to the south, civil servants and citizen volunteers continued to faithfully tally ballots. —Vera Bergengruen, with reporting by Leslie Dickstein and Julia Zorthian
![Capitol Police detain protesters outside of the House Chamber on Jan. 06, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-05.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
![Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber in the Capitol on Jan. 06, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-04.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
![Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the Capitol Building in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-13.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
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![Supporters of President Donald Trump climb on walls at the U.S. Capitol during a protest against the certification of the 2020 presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-02.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
![People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-07.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
![Members of congress run for cover as protesters try to enter the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 06, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-15.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
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![A note left in the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi inside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-12.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
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![Papers and other materials litter the chamber after House were evacuated as protesters try to break into the House Chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-08.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
![Members of the National Guard assist police officers in dispersing protesters who are gathering at the Capitol Building in Washington, on Jan. 06, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-06.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
![A flag hangs between broken windows after supporters of President Donald Trump tried to brake through police barriers outside the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/washington-capitol-donald-trump-senate-10.jpg?w=1000&w=1000)
A mob whipped up by the President stormed police lines, smashed windows and broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to block lawmakers from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory. The violent scene, which called to mind images of coups in foreign lands, was a culmination of two months of “Stop the…