On January 13, 2021, President Donald Trump became the first president in US history to face a second impeachment trial. The charges, incitement of insurrection, stem from a speech at a rally on January 6, during which he urged supporters to “fight” against what he falsely claimed was a stolen election. However, the attempt to bring Trump to justice was already underway weeks before and was catalyzed in part by the tweets he wrote and shared on social media.
Trump’s Twitter antics have been a source of controversy since before his 2017 inauguration. But, in the aftermath of the deadly Capitol attack, his posts proved to be more than just political gaffes and instead accused him of inciting violence. Here are the 12 tweets and retweets that helped get Trump indicted:
1. On Nov. 4, 2020, he falsely declared the election “stolen” from his supporters. He tweeted: “We will never give up or allow others to take away our vote! #FightForTrump #StopTheSteal”
2. On December 30, 2020, he updated a tweet claiming that “a new election must now take place” because “there is NO WAY I lost the 2020 Presidential Election.”
3. On January 2, 2021, he retweeted a post by QAnon conspiracy theorist Tom Fitton falsely claiming the election was stolen from him.
4. On January 4, 2021, he retweeted an account that incited his followers to march to the Capitol, tweeting: “Be there, will be wild.”
5. On January 5, 2021, he tweeted about the big protests planned for the Capitol the following day, saying: “It will be wild.”
6. On January 6, 2021, he retweeted a tweet from one of his lawyers, falsely stating that Vice President Mike Pence could overturn the election results.
7. On January 6, 2021, he retweeted posts calling for “retribution” and for refusing to accept the election loss.
8. On January 6, 2021, he retweeted another call for his supporters to march to the Capitol, saying: “We need you in D.C.”
9. On January 6, 2021, several times during his speech at the rally, he urged his supporters to “fight” against the election results.
10. On January 7, 2021, he issued a statement blaming “Antifa-like thugs” for the violence at the Capitol and falsely claiming that the election was stolen.
11. On January 8, 2021, he retweeted a post claiming his supporters were actually “peaceful patriots” despite the evidence showing otherwise.
12. On January 8, 2021, he retweeted a post saying that the election was not stolen and claiming the media was “hiding” the truth.
These tweets provided the basis for the article of impeachment against President Trump for incitement of insurrection. As a result, he has become the first president to ever face the ultimate punishment of removal from office twice. These twelve tweets and retweets are the ones that helped get Trump indicted.
