ABC Host Grills Trump on Jan. 6 Riot, He Responds By Blasting Cops and Raging About Graffiti Ruining Limestone

Former President Donald Trump vowed to pardon Jan. 6 rioters and went on a bizarre tangent about limestone during his interview at Wednesday’s NABJ convention.

The National Association of Black Journalists announced earlier in the week that Trump would participate in a Q&A at the convention in Chicago. During the wild 34-minute session, Trump called into question Vice President Kamala Harris identifying as Black and downplayed JD Vance’s significance as a vice presidential candidate.

When the topic pivoted to Jan. 6, ABC Host Rachel Scott, one of the moderators, confronted him about his past promises to pardon the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in 2021.

SCOTT: Mr. President, I would love to ask you about January 6. You’ve called yourself the candidate of law and order. When Time Magazine asked if you would consider pardoning all the rioters, you said, “Yes, absolutely.” You called them “patriots.” One-hundred and forty police officers were assaulted that day. Their injuries included broken bones. At least one officer lost an eye. One had two cracked ribs. Two smashed spinal disks. Another had a stroke. Were the people who assaulted those 140 officers, including those I just mentioned, patriots who deserve pardons?

TRUMP: Well, let me bring it back to modern day — like about five days ago. We had an attack on the Capitol, horrible attack on the Capitol. You saw the people that were protesting and spraying these incredible monuments, bells, lions, all these magnificent limestone and granite, with red paint, red spray paint that will never actually come off, especially on the limestone — I’m a builder. I know about this stuff. It’ll never — you’ll see it in 100 years from now. They viciously attacked our government. They fought with police, they fought with them much more openly than I saw in January 6. What’s going to happen to those people? What’s going to happen to the people in Portland that destroyed that city?

SCOTT: My question is on those rioters who assaulted officers. Would you pardon those people?

TRUMP: Oh, absolutely, I would.

SCOTT: You would pardon those — ?

TRUMP: If they were innocent, I would pardon them.

SCOTT: They’ve been convicted.

TRUMP: Well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system. How come the people that tried to burn down Minneapolis — how come the people that took over a large percentage of Seattle — how come nothing happened to them?

SCOTT: But sir, we’re talking people that were seen beating officers with flagpoles, dragging them down the stairs. They’re on video. Have you seen that video, sir? You would pardon those rioters?

TRUMP: They shot a young lady in the face who was protesting. They shot her. You know, nobody died that day. You do know that. But people died in Seattle. Nobody died, but people died in Minneapolis. You know people died in Minneapolis; and nothing happens and nobody ever talks and nothing happens to those people. But you went after the J6 people with a vengeance. And I’ll tell you what, what about the cops that were — and I’m all for the police, as you know — but what about the police that are ushering, ushering everybody into the Capitol. “Go in, go in, go in.” What about that?

Watch above via CNN.