Will free US Capitol rioters if reelected, says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump

On Monday, Donald Trump, referring to those imprisoned for their involvement in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol, announced that one of his first acts if reelected will be to release them, calling them “hostages.” On January 6, 2021, rioters attacked the seat of US democracy, fuelled by the then-president’s fraudulent charges of voting fraud, in an attempt to prevent Joe Biden’s transition to power.

According to the most recent numbers given by the Justice Department last week, about 1,358 people have been charged in the 38 months since. Approximately 500 people have received jail sentences.

Trump posted the comments on his Truth Social website, additionally promising to shut down the border with Mexico as part of his first acts if reelected, without providing details.

“My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!” he wrote late Monday.

Trump has made previous comments about his hypothetical first day in office, vowing during a televised town hall in December not to act as a dictator except “other than day one.”

Nor is it the first time Trump has called his imprisoned supporters “hostages” or suggested they should be freed.

In January, he implored President Biden to “release the J6 hostages, Joe” during a campaign rally in Iowa.

Trump faces four criminal indictments, including two — one federal and one in Georgia — stemming from his attempts to overturn the election results after losing to Biden.

Trump is virtually assured of being the Republican presidential nominee now that his last remaining rival, Nikki Haley, dropped out of the race following his overwhelming wins in the primaries.

Trump insists that the support he enjoys among his Republican base has been enhanced, not hurt, by his many legal woes.