Biden calls storming of Capitol an ‘unprecedented assault’ on democracy

President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday denounced the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of President Trump and called on them to immediately “pull back.”

“At this hour our democracy is under unprecedented assault unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times,” Biden said.

Biden also called the unrest, which erupted amid a congressional vote of the Electoral College results, “an assault on the rule of law like few times we have ever seen it.”

“I call on this mob to pull back and allow democracy to go forward,” he said.

Biden said the lawlessness at the Capitol didn’t represent the “true America” but was instead the work of a “small number of extremists.”

“This is not dissent. It’s disorder. It’s chaos. It borders on sedition. And it must end — now,” he said.

Biden also took a shot at Trump, who addressed his supporters earlier in the day.

“At their best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can incite,” he said.

“I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath to defend the Constitution and demand an end to this,” he added.

Biden also called the violence “a reminder — and a painful one: democracy is fragile..and it requires people of good will — leaders — to stand up.”

Shortly afterward, Trump posted a video to Twitter in which he called for the protesters to disperse.