Donald Trump said he regretted not marching to the US Capitol with his supporters on the day they waged a deadly attack in a defiant interview on Thursday.
Trump revealed that he had tried to join the crowds marching on the Capitol on January 6 last year but was stopped by his security detail.
“Secret Service said I couldn’t go. I would have gone there in a minute,” he told the Washington Post, offering no contrition for his rabble-rousing speech to supporters earlier that day.
Following Trump’s speech, hundreds among the crowd stormed the Capitol and temporarily halted Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
Mike Pence, Trump’s vice-president, and members of Congress had to be rushed to safety.
Four people in the crowd died during the siege and five police officers who served at the Capitol on January 6 died in the aftermath of the attack.
In a lengthy interview on Thursday, Trump deflected any blame for inciting the violent clashes with his fiery speech, in which he urged his supporters to “fight like hell” to keep him in power.
Trump said he “hated” seeing the violent mob but blamed Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, for failing to stop it and insisted his speech was “peaceful and patriotic”.
‘I doubt they would run against me’
Trump once again teased a potential return to the White House and warned his potential Republican rivals against challenging him for the party’s nomination.
Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and Trump’s strongest potential opponent, has declined to rule out running in 2024.
But Trump refuted the idea that DeSantis or other prospective candidates – including Mike Pompeo, his former Secretary of State, or Pence – could take him on.
“Would they run against me? I doubt they would run against me. I doubt it,” he said.
The 75-year-old once confirmed that his health would factor into his decision to mount a second presidential bid, but said that he was currently in good health.
He said: “I think a lot of people are going to be very happy with my decision”, adding: “Because it’s a little boring now.”
Trump revealed that he had tried to join the crowds marching on the Capitol on January 6 last year but was stopped by his security detail.
Trump also touched on the potential legal troubles he could face over the January 6 attack on the Capitol, currently under investigation by a Congressional committee.
Ivanka Trump, his daughter, sat for an eight-hour interview with the panel this week, which Trump called a “shame and harassment”.
Trump offered no indication of whether he would voluntarily testify before the panel if asked, saying: “It depends on what the request is.”
The committee uncovered a near eight-hour gap in the White House’s phone logs for January 6, prompting claims Trump may have used “burner” phones to prevent scrutiny of his actions on the day.
He denied the claims to the Washington Post, saying “there was nothing secretive about it”.
It came as sources told US media that the Justice Department has launched a probe into Trump’s removal of official presidential records to his Florida beach club.
The probe is linked to around 15 boxes of White House documents the National Archives agency recovered from the residence, some of which contained classified materials.
‘I’m the king of endorsements’
During his expansive Washington Post interview, conducted at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago beach club, the former president also offered his views on the foreign policy dilemmas facing his successor, Biden.
He heavily criticised Nato for not doing more to help Ukraine and suggested the route out of the crisis was in lowering oil prices “because you need money to fight wars”.
He once again praised Vladimir Putin as a savvy negotiator for massing Russian troops along Ukraine’s border, but said the Russian president had “overplayed his hand” by invading the country.
Sitting in a room at his Florida resort, alongside a toy model of the presidential jet Air Force One and carrying a Diet Coke, Trump claimed he regularly receives calls from world leaders.
Earlier this week, he said, Viktor Orban, the re-elected Hungarian prime minister, called to credit Trump’s endorsement for his election win.
“These other leaders, they want endorsements,” he said. “I’m the king of endorsements
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