“In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats,two failed Republicans,and the Fake News Media,I am cancelling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday,and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday,January 15th,in Arizona—It will be a big crowd!,” the statement said.
Trump - who is considering running for the White House again in 2024 - had scheduled his event for 5pm on January 6,one year after his supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory.
This would have coincided with a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol and other events also planned to commemorate the anniversary,including remarks by the President.
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Media outlets had been urged not to cover Trump’s news conference amid concerns it would give him a platform to fuel his false claims of election fraud.
“Donald Trump’s January 6 press event should be recognised for what it is:an opportunity for Trump to lie,to downplay the violent insurrection at the US Capitol and set up his 2024 presidential campaign,” Angelo Carusone,president of Media Matters for America,a non-profit media watchdog,said.
The Capitol attack left several people dead and injured about 150 police officers.