Trump impeachment vote: Live coverage from the House of Representatives

Moments after President Trump released a new video Wednesday, denouncing the violence at the US Capitol building last week, CNN’s John King said it was a good message, but asked, “Where was that one week ago today?”

“Where was that one week ago today when thousands of his supporters acting on his words went to the United States Capitol and the leader of the House Republicans, Kevin McCarthy, others were calling him saying, ‘Mr. President, deliver a statement, go public, go on camera, tell your people to back down, tell your people to stand down, tell your people to go home.'”

King added that his message to his supporters was a “strongly worded statement” that left little ambiguity, but fell flat when compared to his past comments about the riot.   

“He says in this statement, ‘Like all of you I was shocked and deeply saddened by the calamity at the Capitol last week,'” King said. “No. He said nothing about it at the moment when people were begging him to stand down. Then he called them patriots and he said he loved them. He’s on the record. That’s on camera. In his statements. Those are his own words.”

King went on to say it was a responsible statement from the President, but reiterated that the sentiment was too late to have an impact.

“It would have been nice to get it a week ago,” King said. “It would have been nice to get it after Charlottesville. It would have been nice to get it at other moments where the President has encouraged his supporters. For this President to say it’s time to rise above the rancor and find common ground, he has often caused the rancor and disrupted any efforts at common ground. Again, it is a very welcome statement in a vacuum.”

Watch King’s remarks:



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