President Joe Biden’s Sunday op-ed in the *Washington Post*, titled “What Americans Should Remember About Jan. 6,” served as a pointed political attack against Donald Trump, rather than a unifying reflection on the anniversary of the Capitol riot. Biden’s 2020 campaign promise to “restore” decency and honor to the White House appears increasingly at odds with his continued focus on partisan divisions.
The op-ed sought to solidify a particular narrative of the January 6th events, emphasizing the violence and the threat to democracy. Biden recounted the chaos of the day, detailing the rioters’ actions – their breaching of the Capitol, the assault on law enforcement, and the discovery of a bomb near the Vice President’s location. He highlighted the physical violence inflicted upon police officers, some of whom ultimately died as a result of their injuries. He framed any attempt to downplay or reinterpret these events as a dangerous distortion of history. His central argument was the imperative to preserve the accurate account of that day for future generations.
However, Biden’s piece conspicuously omitted the highly partisan nature of the January 6th Committee and its ultimate failure to prevent Trump’s reelection. A contrasting perspective would highlight Trump’s considerable political resilience in overcoming numerous attempts to derail his campaign, including efforts to imprison, bankrupt, or even assassinate him, as well as challenges to his ballot eligibility. This perspective posits Trump’s victory as a significant political comeback, defying considerable opposition. The omission of this counter-narrative significantly weakens Biden’s claim to be presenting an objective account of the events of January 6th.