‘It’s chaos’: Biden demands Trump 'step up' as US Capitol stormed
President-Elect Joe Biden has made a bold call to outgoing leader Donald Trump as he describes a group of protesters storming the US Capitol as “insurrection”.
Chaotic scenes have erupted in the US as angry protesters stormed the meeting place of the US Congress, in Washington DC, as it was in session to count and certify the Electoral College votes from the US election.
Since Biden’s victory in the November election, Trump has failed to concede defeat and continued to make baseless claims of election fraud.
US representative Adam Kinzinger tweeted the protest was a “coup attempt” while Biden said the chaos “borders on sedition”.
One woman has even been shot as police draw their guns inside the House of Representatives chamber.
“It’s chaos,” the President-Elect said in a somber speech at a press conference addressing the incident.
“It must end now.
“I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward.”
Biden’s call to Trump to stop US riots
He then appealed to Trump to go on national television in an attempt to stop the revolt.
“The words of a president matter, no matter how good or bad that president is. At the best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can incite,” he said.
“Therefore, I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfil his oath and defend the constitution and demand an end to this siege.
“To storm the Capitol, to smash windows, to occupy offices, the floor of the US Senate, rummaging through desks on the House of Representatives, threatening the safety of dually elected officials – it is not a protest, it is insurrection.”
Biden said he was genuinely shocked and saddened that the nation could come to such a dark moment.
“Though war and strife, America has endured much and we will endure here and we will prevail again and we’ll prevail now,” he said.
“The work of the moment and the work of the next four years must be the restoration of democracy, of decency, honour, respect, the rule of law. Just plain, simple decency.”
Biden added the certification of the electoral college vote was supposed to be a sacred ritual that instead had erupted into disarray.
“The world is watching,” he said.
“America is so much better than what we are seeing today.
“So, President Trump, step up.”
Trump posts video amid US Capitol riots
As Biden addressed the nation, Trump posted a video on Twitter urging people to go home in peace while continuing to claim the election was “stolen”.
“I know your pain. I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us,” he said.
“It was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side, but you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order.
“We don’t want anybody hurt. It is a very tough period of time. There has never been a time like this where such a thing happened, where they could take it away from all of us, from me, from you, from our country.”
He added it was a “fraudulent election” but said there had to be peace.
“So, go home. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace.”
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