White House Attempts to Distance Itself From Capitol Riot by Condemning Violence, But Many Don't Buy It

After a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday amid the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win, the White House, in an effort to distance itself from the event, condemned the violence in a statement that seemed to fall on deaf ears. Speaking on "behalf of the entire White House" for a total of two minutes, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said "those who violently besieged our Capitol are the opposite of everything this administration stands for."

Reading a statement from her notebook more than 24 hours after the Capitol was stormed, McEnany said "the violence we saw yesterday at our nation's capital was appalling, reprehensible and antithetical to the American way," adding, "We condemn it — the president and this administration — in the strongest possible terms." Calling for the country to unite and "reject the violence that we have seen," she said "the core value of our administration is the idea that all citizens have the right to live and safety, peace and freedom." She called on those who broke the law to be "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

In a brief statement, without taking questions, Press Sec. Kayleigh McEnany said the White House condemns the siege on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob: "It is unacceptable and those that broke the law should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." https://t.co/t9bSjEjS4T pic.twitter.com/NQ8SMzGOeq

— ABC News (@ABC) January 8, 2021

For many, though, McEnany's statements fell flat in the wake of weeks of Trump spewing baseless claims of voter fraud and a "rigged" election and encouraging protests on Jan. 6. Trump himself, as the riots forced lawmakers to seek shelter and placed the Capitol on lockdown, applauded the mob in a video statement shared to Twitter that has since been removed because it violated the platform's rules. In the video, as he told the rioters to "go home," the president reiterated unfounded claims that the election was "stolen" and referred to the rioters as "special" and told them that he loves them.

Social media quickly erupted with people blasting McEnany, many pointing to the president's own comments and tweets. Scroll down to see what social media had to say.