Trump did not condemn the violence from his supporters at the U.S. Capitol.
Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum on Wednesday noted that it was "very striking" that Donald Trump had not made any comments on camera to try to bring an end to the attack on the U.S. Capitol carried out by his supporters in Washington, D.C.
"I think that it's very striking that we have not seen the president yet," MacCallum said during the network's coverage of the violence.
"Tweets do not seem to do the trick at this moment," she added. "I think we need to see the president, I think he needs to speak to the country."
A violent mob stormed the Capitol after a rally during which Trump egged them on and told them, "I'll be with you" on their march to the building. One woman was reportedly in critical condition after she was shot on Capitol grounds.
Later in the day, Trump tweeted out a video discussing the attack.
"I know your pain, I know you're hurt," Trump said in a message directed to the people who attacked the Capitol. He went on to falsely reiterate his debunked conspiracy theory of a "stolen" election, then said, "But you have to go home now."
From the Jan. 6 edition of Fox News' "Bill Hemmer Reports":
MARTHA MacCALLUM, Fox News: These are just absolutely images that I never thought that I would see in my lifetime, Bill, we've all seen a lot covering a lot of stories over the past decades, but I never thought that I would see anything quite like this.
BILL HEMMER, Fox News: Yeah.
MacCALLUM : But I think that it's very striking that we have not seen the president yet. It also – tweets do not seem to do the trick at this moment. I think we need to see the president, I think he needs to speak to the country, and I think being in front of the camera is the only way that might sort of bring that message home at this very unstable time.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
