GOP Senators Break With Trump Over 'Offensive' Jan. 6 Tribute At Texas Rally

WASHINGTON ― Former President Donald Trump’s extraordinary tribute over the weekend to people convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol was a step too far for some Republican senators, including one of his top allies in Congress.

“I think the best thing for President Trump to do is to focus on the problems people are facing today. There is no way you’re going to convince the American people that Jan. 6 was anything less than a horrible day,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who is supporting Trump’s 2024 campaign despite the former president’s role in inciting the attack on Congress, told HuffPost on Monday.

Graham said that suggesting the violent Jan. 6 riot involving hundreds of Trump supporters was “a walk through the park is offensive to me. It’s not reality. It was one of the worst days in American history, and it needs to be viewed that way.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said he didn’t believe focusing on past events like the Jan. 6 attack was a “recipe for success” for any candidate seeking political office.

“I never have seen somebody successfully get elected to office running on something that happened in the past…. I think people want a positive vision for the future,” Cornyn said.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), meanwhile, expressed dismay that footage from the Jan. 6 insurrection was displayed on big screens while Trump appeared on stage.

“I was disappointed to see the way that he utilized clips of that day. That was a bad day for this country,” Rounds told HuffPost. “What happened on that day was as close to an attempted insurrection as we’ve seen in a very long time, and I don’t think any of us should be proud of that day.”

As footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is displayed in the background, former President Donald Trump stands while a song, "Justice for All," is played during a campaign rally Saturday at Waco Regional Airport in Texas.

With a hand over his heart, Trump opened his rally in Waco, Texas, on Saturday with a song called “Justice for All” that was recorded by a “choir” of people imprisoned for their roles in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The recording is being used to raise funds to support the families of Trump supporters locked up on charges related to the violence on Jan. 6, 2021. In the track, Trump is featured reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.