WASHINGTON – As the nation marked five years since the January 6, 2021 insurrection, organizations are emphasizing that the threats to American democracy haven’t ended – they’ve deepened. They highlighted the alarming trajectory from the violent attack on the Capitol to today’s threats, including President Trump’s pardoning of more than 1,500 January 6 rioters, the systematic removal of democratic guardrails, and ongoing efforts to undermine election integrity and the rule of law.
See more from organizations and advocates marking the January 6 anniversary:
Public Citizen: “On January 6th five years ago, a sitting U.S. president incited violence against our nation in a shameless attempt to overturn a democratically-held election. This day must live forever in our memory, so that we continue to seek accountability for the perpetrators and work tirelessly to safeguard our democracy from future lawlessness. As we reflect on the solemn anniversary of the insurrection, we must grapple with the reality that the same president is back in office. And that his disdain for the rule of law and disregard of the U.S. Constitution are more brazen than ever, amplified by endless incendiary rhetoric and reckless actions.”
Stand Up America: “Five years ago, Donald Trump summoned his most radical supporters to Washington, D.C. to do the most un-American thing imaginable: violently attack the Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of a free and fair election. Our justice system rightly held many of those responsible accountable, but Trump upended that accountability. On his first day back in office, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 January 6 rioters, including violent criminals who bludgeoned police officers. Some of those individuals have since gone on to commit other crimes, including plotting to kill FBI agents. The message is unmistakable: those who break the law for Trump are rewarded with pardons and protection, while those who enforce the law are punished for doing their jobs. That leaves all of us less safe. The American people deserve better.”
Constitutional Accountability Center: “When President Trump issues statements purporting to care about DC crime rates and the safety of law enforcement officers, we should all remember that Trump issued broad clemency to roughly 1600 individuals charged with crimes in connection with the violent attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, including individuals charged with harming law enforcement officers in one of the most intense days of criminal activity in the District of Columbia’s history. That insurrection five years ago was not just an attack on the Capitol, it was an attack on democracy. Violent rioters were attempting to thwart the will of American voters by disrupting the peaceful transfer of power. The strength of our democracy depends upon us remembering exactly what happened that day, and upon us ensuring it never happens again.”
People For the American Way: “Donald Trump’s first term ended with his supporters’ violent attack on Congress and our Constitution. Trump began his second term by freeing all the rioters, even those convicted of the most serious crimes. Trump’s pardons undermined the rule of law and set the stage for his lawless second term, in which insurrectionists and co-conspirators were not only pardoned but actually rewarded with high-ranking jobs in the administration. Emboldened by collaborators in Congress and the Supreme Court majority, Trump has corrupted the Justice Department, unleashed violence against the American people, and weakened the constitutional system of checks and balances that protects all Americans from tyrannical government.”
American Oversight: “Five years after January 6, this moment calls for clear reflection on what happened that day, what was targeted, and what remains at stake. January 6 was an assault on voters and democracy itself. It advanced the dangerous idea that election results are optional for those in power. Whitewashing that truth legitimizes abuse and invites its repetition.”
Indivisible: “Five years ago today, Donald Trump incited a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol in a last-ditch effort to cling to power after losing a free and fair election. January 6 was not a protest that got out of hand. It was an attempted coup, carried out in plain sight. Marking this anniversary is not just about remembering the past. It’s about confronting the dangerous reality of the present. The same man who fueled that insurrection is once again in power, and his contempt for the Constitution and law has only grown.”
Center for American Progress: “This anniversary is a reminder of how close we came to losing American democracy five years ago. As we begin 2026, this will be a critical year to see if the 250-year-old American democratic experiment can survive. Donald Trump can try to downplay his central role in the January 6 insurrection and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, but history will never forget how he tried to subvert the will of the people. We can never forget the violence and chaos of that day as Trump sat watching the attack on live TV for 187 minutes without acting to stop it.”
Workers Circle: “Five years ago today, nearly 1,600 people violently stormed the Capitol, attempting to overturn a democratic election. On his first day back in the office, President Trump pardoned them. He has appointed officials who defended those attacks. The signal is clear: political violence is acceptable and will be rewarded. These actions actively encourage violent attacks on democratic institutions and the people who uphold them. As a Jewish organization, we know what happens when political violence becomes normalized and goes unchallenged. On this solemn anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, the Workers Circle condemns those who use violence to advance their political agenda—and those who reward them for it.”
Lawyers for Good Government: “Five years ago today, our democracy was violently attacked. What unfolded on January 6, 2021 was not a protest gone wrong—it was an authoritarian power grab, incited by a sitting president who refused to accept the will of the people and sought to cling to power through violence and intimidation. In the immediate aftermath of the insurrection, Lawyers for Good Government spoke clearly and unequivocally. More than 12,000 lawyers and supporters joined our call to invoke the Constitution, to remove Donald J. Trump from office, to impeach and disqualify him, and to investigate all who contributed to that assault on the rule of law. We said then—and we say now—that no one is above the law, and that democracy cannot survive when those entrusted with power are permitted to subvert it without consequence. Five years later, the warning signs we named in 2021 have not faded. They have metastasized.”