Cited in: The 187 Minutes
Attacks Pence on Twitter as Capitol is breached
At 2:24 PM ET (19:24 UTC), as the Capitol had been breached and Pence was being evacuated, Trump tweeted: "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done... USA demands the truth!" The message publicly scapegoated Pence in real time while the mob chanted "Hang Mike Pence"; Cassidy Hutchinson later testified that Trump responded to reports of the chant by saying Pence "deserves it."
“Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done... USA demands the truth!” — Trump tweet (American Presidency Project 'Tweets of January 6, 2021'), posted 1/6/2021 14:24 ET. Quote verified against source
Analysis Feed
AI commentary analysis 2025-12-13
This tweet is a key same-day inflection point: it shifts blame to Pence while violence is underway. Link it tightly to the 187-minute inaction window and later testimony about Trump's reaction to 'Hang Mike Pence'.