Footage of Donald Trump and family watching as crowds gathered in protest of the election result. Photo / Twitter
Footage of Donald Trump and family watching as crowds gathered in protest of the election result. Photo / Twitter
Footage has surfaced of the Trump family in a celebratory mood shortly before violence erupted in Washington DC and their supporters stormed the Capitol.
The footage, taken by Donald Trump Jr, shows his father, sister Ivanka, brother Eric, girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, chief-of-staff Mark Meadows and several others watching in a tent as their Save America March got under way on the streets.
Donald Jr films his girlfriend Kimberly dancing among the party atmosphere and is heard urging Trumpists to "fight" for the departing US president.
President Donald Trump also appears to be wearing boxing gloves as he prepares to give his speech just before the chaos unfolded in the Capitol.
Trump told supporters he would "never give up" and "never concede" in the 2020 presidential election, before a joint session of Congress to certify the results.
The rally proceedings were disrupted as pro-Trump protesters stormed the Capitol building, sending it into lockdown. Four people died in the chaos that ensued, and dozens more were arrested. A police officer injured in the chaos later died in hospital.
Donald Jr can be heard at the start of the footage saying: "Unfortunately there's a road in between the main crowd and the masses, I'd love to see them getting in closer because that would be pretty awesome, but this is pretty incredible."
Donald Trump wearing what looks to be boxing gloves in the footage. Photo / Twitter
He called the protesters patriots who were "sick of the bullsh*t" and thanked them for what they were doing before panning around the room, capturing his wife dancing to 80s hit Gloria by Laura Branigan and showing staff taking photos of the crowds on the multiple TV screens in the tent.
Meadows makes a joyful cameo at the end where Donald Jr calls him "a real fighter".
Guilfoyle also appears again and says "Have the courage to do the right thing. Fight", before Trump appears at the end swinging what appears to be a red boxing glove.
The footage has gone viral on social media with people highlighting how the Trumps were "dancing in enjoyment" and "gleeful" just ahead of the violence that transpired.
"The atmosphere was clear ... Strategic ambiguity equals plausible deniability," one commenter said.
Don Jr's gleeful selfie with chief-of-staff Mark Meadows. Photo / Twitter
Another wrote, "Wow. The palpable excitement and party atmosphere, and this is before withholding National Guard support."
Others pointed out how the constant use of the word "fight" and Trump wearing boxing gloves indicated "they had a game plan and it worked".
"Trump wearing boxing gloves in the last few seconds is the most insane thing in this very insane video," another said.
TRUMPS TAKE TO THE STAGE
Donald Jr later thanked "red-blooded, patriotic Americans" for "being in this fight with us" and "standing up to the bullsh*t" in his speech to supporters.
In an expletive-filled speech delivered almost entirely in shouts, he lamented his personal Instagram account was "being censored to hell right now" and complained that transgender women had a competitive advantage in all-female sporting events.
"No sh*t!" he said. Fox News then dropped its live feed of the event after his comments went to air uncensored.
Guilfoyle, Eric and Lara Trump also appeared on stage.
"We live in the greatest country in the world, and we will never, ever, ever stop fighting," Eric Trump said.
Lara said: "Our family didn't get in this fight for just four years. We are in this fight to the bitter end."
PRESIDENT'S SPEECH THAT TOUTED THE CROWDS
In his speech, Trump told supporters he vowed to "stop the steal" and renewed pressure on Vice President Mike Pence to "do the right thing" and decertify the results of the election.
He said he did not want to see "our election victory stolen by radical left Democrats".
"That's what they're doing, and stolen by the fake news media, that's what they've done and what they're doing," Trump said.
"We will never give up and never concede. We will stop the steal."
The president touted the crowds of supporters who travelled to Washington for pro-Trump rallies across the city on Wednesday, local time, on the sidelines of the Electoral College certification in Congress.
"If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election," Trump said.
"All he has to do, this is from the No 1, or certainly, one of the top constitutional lawyers in our country, he has the absolute right to do it."
When the president finally addressed the violence he asked the rioters to "go home" but also called them "very special" and said "we love you".
But in a video message released today, the president slammed the violence seen during yesterday's siege, claiming he was "outraged" by what he had witnessed.
"I'd like to begin by addressing the heinous attack at the US Capitol. Like all Americans, I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem," he said.
"America is and must always be a nation of law and order. The demonstrators who entered the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy. To those who engaged in the acts of destruction: You do not represent our country. To those you broke the law: you will pay."
