How Trump fiddled with his TV remote while Capitol was ransacked: President whipped MAGA rally into a frenzy, told them to march on the Hill - then retreated to White House to watch pandemonium on cable - and refused to condemn it
Just prior to taking the stage at his ill-fated rally on Wednesday, President Donald Trump was in an upbeat mood. The Laura Branigan song Gloria blasted over loudspeakers as he stood in a tent offstage, gazing at monitors showing the massive crowd of his adoring followers, while advisor Kimberly Guilfoyle danced nearby. At the rally, Trump promised to join his loyalists in marching on the U.S. Capitol, but instead he retreated to the White House in the 'Beast' presidential limousine as the chaos he had unleashed unfolded. Cocooned in a small private dining room next to the Oval Office, Trump watched on cable news as his followers ransacked the Capitol building, but appeared disinterested in the insurrection. Instead, he grew increasingly agitated and raved furiously that his own vice president had not backed his attempt to overthrow the election, insiders say. As the television showed scenes from the Capitol that shocked the nation and the world, increasingly desperate aides pl