Getty Thousands of Donald Trump supporters storm the United States Capitol building following a "Stop the Steal" rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC.
“187 minutes” became a trending term on Twitter in reference to the House select committee hearings investigating the events of January 6, 2021, and the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The committee members said it took former President Donald Trump 187 minutes to act before he told his supporters at the Capitol to stand down.
Tonight’s hearing, Thursday, July 21, 2022, will focus on what then-President Donald Trump was doing while the U.S. Capitol was under attack for 187 minutes, starting with the end of his speech at 1 p.m. to when he released a video at 4:17 p.m. telling the rioters to leave the Capitol, according to CNN.
CNN reported that committee aides who were with Trump would be included in the prime time testimony airing July 21. The hearing was expected to be the final time the committee broadcast its findings on television, but members announced in their opening remarks that additional hearings will be held in September.
“Doors have opened, new subpoenas have been issued and the dam has begun to break,” said Rep. Liz Cheney, the panel’s vice chair.
Here’s what you need to know:
‘Donald Trump Did Not Fail to Act, He Chose Not to Act,” Said Kinzinger
#187Minutes – “President Trump did not fail to act, he CHOSE not to act,” said Adam Kinzinger.
GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who is leading the July 21 committee hearing with Democratic Representative Elaine Luria of Virginia, said that Trump’s inaction was a decision the former president made.
“Donald Trump did not fail to act. He chose not to act,” Kinzinger said in his opening remarks.
Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said that Trump called on his followers during the Ellipse speech to march, and then “he stopped.”
“For 187 minutes, on Jan. 6, this man of unbridled destructive energy could not be moved — not by his aides, not by his allies, not by the violent chants of rioters or the desperate pleas of those facing down the riot,” Thompson said.
He said that Trump’s family members pleaded with him to tell his followers to stop the violence.
“He could not be moved,” Thompson said.
Tweets Discussed the 187 Minutes of the Attack on the U.S. Capitol & Some Called for Trump To Be Indicted
Twitter users shared memes and cartoons about the 187 minutes before Trump called off the protesters. Some of those tweets called for Trump to be indicted.
“Trump’s Coup attempt lasted a total of #187Minutes, and all that time, he just sat back and watched as it happened,” one person wrote on Twitter. “It’s time to #IndictTrumpNow for what he did! We cannot let him go unpunished!”
Another person wrote: “‘Donald Trump betrayed his oath of office and was derelict in his duty.’ Elaine Luria. Trump enjoyed watching the Capital be violated and victimized. He chose not to act for #187Minutes because His Mob was fulfilling their duty to him!”
“#187Minutes. Think about all of the things that you could do in 187 minutes. Then consider how much *more* you could accomplish if you were the President of the United States during those 187 minutes,” another person wrote on Twitter. “But Trump did NOTHING. Because he wanted to watch it all burn.”