Donald Trump’s campaign says he won’t be attending a fundraiser for families of people who were charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots after the former president was listed as an invited speaker for the event at his New Jersey golf club.
More than 1,400 defendants have been charged in the attack on the Capitol, and Trump has been federally indicted on election interference charges that allege he played a part in inciting the violent mob.
The “J6 Awards Gala” by the nonprofit Stand in the Gap is scheduled for Sept. 5 at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. According to the event listing online, the event will raise money and pay tribute to “all J6 defendants who have shown incredible courage and sacrifice.”
Trump is listed as an invited speaker, alongside confirmed speakers Rudy Giuliani and Anthony Raimondi. The Trump campaign told USA Today he will not be attending.
Donald Trump has long aligned himself with Jan. 6 defendants
While Democrats hammer Trump for the events of that day, Trump has suggested that those convicted in the riots should be released. He has also played recordings from the J6 Prison Choir at his rallies. The Stand in the Gap fundraiser will also honor the choir’s song “Justice for All.”
Several people online have reacted to the event in disbelief, including former Mike Pence advisor Olivia Troye.
“Celebrating the people who endangered the life of (Trump’s) own Vice President & glorifying violence is a dangerous assault on our democracy & a disgraceful rewriting of history,” Troye, who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, wrote on X. “We must all stand together against him.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., avoided weighing in on whether Trump should attend the event but condemned the rioters.
“I have no sympathy for those who broke into the Capitol, destroyed the place and hurt police officers,” Graham said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. When pressed on whether Trump should allow the event to happen, Graham responded “I’ll leave it up to him as to what causes to support.”
Former President Donald Trump at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey, which hosted a LIV Golf event on July 28, 2022.
“Most Americans believe the January 6 rioters who violently attacked police officers and tried to overthrow an election belong in jail,” Harris-Walz spokesperson Sarafina Chitika told USA Today, calling the event “a slap in the face to every police officer who defended our Capitol…
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