In an op-ed published on Sunday, January 5, 2025, U.S. President Joe Biden called on Americans to remember the events of January 6, 2021, and to guard against the dangers of forgetting. Writing in The Washington Post, Biden emphasized the nation’s collective duty to preserve the truth about the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters attempting to block the certification of his 2020 election loss.
“We must remember the wisdom of the adage that any nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it,” Biden wrote. “We cannot accept a repeat of what occurred four years ago.”
Biden’s op-ed was published ahead of Congress’s formal certification of Donald Trump’s recent presidential victory, set to take place on Monday, and just two weeks before Trump is set to begin his second, non-consecutive term as president. The timing of Biden’s remarks underscores his ongoing concerns about threats to democracy, particularly in light of Trump’s continued refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of his 2020 election defeat.
During his presidency, Biden often characterized Trump as a danger to democratic institutions, citing the events of January 6 as a prime example. Even after stepping aside in July 2024 to allow Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket, Biden continued to center the defense of democracy in his public statements. In her campaign, Harris echoed Biden’s warnings, portraying Trump’s return to power as a potential risk to the republic.
Trump has consistently promoted unfounded theories about the 2020 election and the January 6 attack, which resulted in numerous convictions for crimes such as assaulting law enforcement officers. In his campaign, Trump promised to issue widespread pardons for those convicted in connection with the Capitol riot.
“An unrelenting effort has been underway to rewrite — even erase — the history of that day. To tell us we didn’t see what we all saw with our own eyes,” Biden wrote in his op-ed. “In time, there will be Americans who didn’t witness the January 6 riot firsthand but will learn about it from footage, testimony, and history books. We cannot allow the truth to be lost.”
Biden also assured the public that the upcoming election certification process would proceed peacefully this time around, in contrast to the chaos of 2021. He urged Americans to remain vigilant in safeguarding democratic principles and ensuring that the events of January 6 are remembered accurately.
“We must pass the truth on to our children,” Biden concluded, “so that they, too, understand the fragility and value of democracy.”