President Donald Trump has forgotten about a highly controversial video only two days after he reposted it to his Truth Social account.
On Friday, as Americans honored victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the 80-year-old shared a 2021 video addressing his supporters as a violent mob stormed the Capitol after Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.
In the resurfaced minute-long video, Trump stared into a camera and told rioters, “I know your pain. I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us.”
He then asked his supporters to go home. “We love you. You’re very special... You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel, but go home and go home at peace.”
In a press gaggle on Air Force One on Sunday, a reporter asked Trump what “message” was behind his sudden posting of the five-year-old video on Friday.
“Well, I posted about 30,” Trump said of his social media output, then added, “Which one are you talking about?”
The reporter clarified, “You posted a video you took and posted on January 6th asking the rioters to go back home.”
Trump said, “The who?” The reporter, who was standing next to him, responded, “The rioters of January 6 in 2021.”
The senior president then turned away from the female reporter and said, “I don’t know what she’s talking about.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
The video was initially posted in 2021, two hours after a mob of Trump supporters derailed a joint session of Congress where Biden’s election victory was confirmed.
Trump spent Friday morning at a September 11 memorial at the Pentagon to mark the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, and appeared to fall asleep.
The president was caught struggling to stay awake, with his eyes closed for extended periods as he rocked back and forth.
Trump’s health has been the subject of speculation since his second term, with the right side of his face appearing to droop on Friday. He has also had persistent bruising on his hands covered by makeup and swollen ankles.
The 2021 video was shared just before 3 p.m on Friday. The White House Press Pool X account stated that Trump was participating in Signing Time at 2:30 p.m before a policy meeting at 3:30 p.m.
The president’s 35-year-old aide Natalie Harp, who travelled with him to Ireland on the weekend, has been credited with discovering or recommending some of the Truth Social posts he makes.
Harp began working for Trump in 2022 and earns a tax-payer funded salary of $150,000 a year. She earned the nickname “human printer” by shadowing Trump, printing out news articles for him and suggesting possible Truth Social posts.
Last Thursday, Trump snapped at ABC reporter Rachel Scott after she asked him about his $5,000 promise to lure voters to the polls. “Not you!,” he barked at the 33-year-old reporter.
