Donald Trump considering compensation for Jan 6 rioters he pardoned: 'They were treated very unfairly'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump indicated that he was open to offering some form of compensation to the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill rioters for the ordeal they had to go through in the aftermath of the incident, Mediaite reported on Tuesday, March 25.

After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump falsely claimed that the election was rigged against him. He held a rally in Washington on January 6, the day Congress was to certify Biden's victory.

Trump apparently pressured his then-Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the results, but Pence refused, stating that he did not have "unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not." This, in turn, incited a pro-Trump mob to storm the US Capitol.

Following the incident, over 1,200 participants were convicted on various charges. Trump himself was charged for his role in inciting the riot and attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 general election. However, the case was dropped after he won back the White House in November 2024.

Following his inauguration, Trump issued sweeping pardons to approximately 1,500 people who were charged or convicted of the January 6, 2021, riot.

Donald Trump's comment on offering compensation to January 6 rioters

Newsmax anchor Greg Kelly sat down with the incumbent for an interview on Tuesday, March 25, where he brought up the subject of a lawsuit filed against the federal govenment by the family of Ashli Babbitt, a participant of the Capitol Hill riot who was fatally shot by a police officer while attempting to break through a door. 

Mentioning that the Justice Department under the current administration was still fighting the lawsuit, Kelly asked, "Shouldn’t that be something that can just be settled at this point?"

The 78-year-old commander-in-chief claimed to be unaware of the situation, saying that he would "look into that" because Babbitt "was a really good person who was a big MAGA fan, Trump fan, and she was innocently standing there—they even say, trying to sort of hold back the crowd."

Talking of the rioters in general, Kelly inquired, "Is there any talk of – because they lost opportunity, they lost income – any kind of compensation fund?"

"Well, there’s talk about that," replied Trump. "A lot of the people that are in government now talk about it because a lot of the people in government really like that group of people. They were patriots as far as I was concerned. I talk about them a lot. They were treated very unfairly."

Internet slams Donald Trump as he says he is considering compensation for January 6 rioters

Netizens on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) were outraged by Donald Trump being open to considering reparations for January 6 rioters he pardoned. 

One wrote, "He's just saying that those who broke the law will be paid," and another said, "He needs to fund them for round 2, term 3."

A person stated, "There is something really wrong with this man," while someone else remarked, "Now there's a waste of taxpayer money if I've ever seen one."

"Trump is making sure his 'Stand back and stand by' army remains loyal and primed for him," a comment read. 

One more wrote, "HUH? Trump REALLY doesn't want these people to sue him! How about a compensation fund for the Capitol police and their family members?"

"Ah yes, because they showed they are very loyal to Trump and will brave any police force to storm a federal building. The only logical thing to do is to use taxpayer dollars to reward them for breaking the law," a disgruntled netizen stated. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.