6 January 2021.
Following a speech from outgoing President Donald Trump, in which he vowed he would "never concede", Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol Building, rallying against the results of the November 2020 presidential election. Video / AP / Supplied
Senior adviser to the President, Ivanka Trump is facing intense backlash after labelling violent protesters "patriots" in a hastily deleted tweet.
The First Daughter's tweet was posted this morning NZ time in response to the chaos unfolding in Washington DC, where pro-Trump supporters have stormed the Capitol building in a bid to overthrow the results of the November 3 election.
US President Donald Trump and his supporters have consistently refused to accept Democrat Joe Biden's win, and "anarchists" swarmed the Capitol as a joint session of Congress convened to confirm Biden's victory.
"American Patriots – any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable," Ivanka Trump posted today.
"The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful."
Ivanka Trump has since deleted the controversial tweet. Photo / Twitter
But while Trump clearly called for calm, critics were quick to seize on her use of the word "patriots", which many interpreted as praise or support for those wreaking havoc.
The choice of words sparked an outpouring of anger, with Twitter users labelling her tweet "despicably shameful" and describing her as "complicit".
She deleted the tweet soon after the backlash began, but not before furious Americans had the chance to screenshot it and share it widely online.
She went on to insist: "Peaceful protest is patriotic. Violence is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms."
Ivanka Trump walks out to introduce President Donald J. Trump at a rally in November. Photo / Getty Images
The protests have been anything but peaceful, with a woman shot, a pipe bomb discovered and several police officers injured at the scene.
Ivanka's brother, Donald Trump Jr, has also condemned the violence on the streets of Washington DC, tweeting: "This is wrong and not who we are. Be peaceful and use your 1st Amendment rights, but don't start acting like the other side. We have a country to save and this doesn't help anyone."
But pressure is mounting on the President to take a stand and order his supporters to desist amid the growing mayhem.
So far, Trump has not spoken publicly about the crisis, instead issuing several tweets urging those at Capitol to "remain peaceful".
In contrast, incoming president Joe Biden has fronted up to the public in an attempt to calm the escalating situation.
"At this hour, our democracy's under unprecedented assault. Unlike anything we've seen in modern times. An assault on the citadel of liberty, the Capitol itself. An assault on the people's representatives and the Capitol Hill police, sworn to protect them. And the public servants who work at the heart of our Republic… Let me be very clear. The scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect a true America. Do not represent who we are. What we're seeing are a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. This is not dissent. It's disorder. It's chaos. It borders on sedition. And it must end now," Biden said on Thursday morning.
