> At a Glance
> – Jimmy Kimmel used his Jan. 6 monologue to accuse Donald Trump of inciting the 2021 Capitol riot
> – The same day, the Trump administration launched an official website calling rioters “peaceful patriotic protestors”
> – The site blames Democrats and Mike Pence while claiming “zero law enforcement officers lost their lives”
> – Why it matters: The clash highlights competing narratives five years after the deadly attack that left five dead and 140 officers injured
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel marked the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol assault by blasting Donald Trump for “a pathetic and illegal attempt to stay in the White House,” hours after the Trump team unveiled a website that rewrites the day’s history.
Kimmel’s Monologue: “Tyrannical and Dangerous”
Kimmel opened his Jan. 6 episode by reminding viewers that courts across the country unanimously ruled the 2020 election free and fair. He accused Trump of whipping supporters into a frenzy when Mike Pence followed the Constitution rather than block certification.
> “Trump got his supporters all riled up and sent them to the Capitol, where they staged a violent and deadly riot, which he enjoyed from the comfort of his office for hours.”
The host warned against “revisionist history,” concluding with a darkly comic “Happy stormversary, everybody.”
The New White House Website: Key Claims vs. Record
The administration’s official site, launched the same day, flips the script:
- Labels rioters as “orderly” and “peaceful”
- States “zero law enforcement officers lost their lives”
- Calls Pence’s certification an “act of cowardice and sabotage”
- Accuses Nancy Pelosi and the Jan. 6 committee of staging “a scripted TV spectacle”
The site lists only pro-Trump fatalities, omitting:
- Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after engaging rioters
- Four officers who later died by suicide
- Nearly 140 officers injured by weapons
Numbers That Contradict the Narrative
| Metric | Official Website | Documented Record |
|---|---|---|
| Officer deaths mentioned | 0 | 5 (1 stroke, 4 suicides) |
| Rioters charged | Pardoned | ~1,600 |
| Hours riot lasted | Not stated | 187 minutes |
Capitol Police protected lawmakers while rioters – many echoing Trump’s stolen-election claim – chanted threats and broke into the chamber.
Trump Doubles Down at Kennedy Center
Speaking at the Kennedy Center on the anniversary, the president repeated the website’s themes. A spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi called the administration’s “ongoing attempts to whitewash the deadly insurrection shameful, unpatriotic, and pathetic.”
Key Takeaways
- Kimmel used his platform to keep public focus on Trump’s role in inciting the riot
- The new White House site offers an alternate reality that downplays violence and blames Democrats
- The dueling narratives underscore a persistent divide in how Americans view Jan. 6
Five years on, the clash between a late-night monologue and an official government website shows the battle over Jan. 6’s meaning is far from settled.
