As the literal smoke cleared from the riots at the U.S. Capitol, the former presidents took to social media in a call for unity in our country.
Former President Jimmy Carter, who earlier this week, before violence erupted, said he was going to miss the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden due to the coronavirus pandemic, released a statement, saying in part, “I know that we the people can unite and walk back from this precipice to peacefully uphold the laws of our nation, and we must.”
>> Read: Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter to miss inauguration for first time since 1977
Former President Bill Clinton called the events “an unprecedented assault on our Capitol, our Constitution, and our country.”
Former President George W. Bush called the attack “a sickening and heartbreaking sight.”
While the most current former President, Barack Obama, had strong words about the administration and supporters: “History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation. But we’d be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise.”