Warren County retired chiropractor who attended Washington rally: ‘Couldn’t even imagine something like’ Capitol mob

“He said, ‘They’re storming the Capitol,’” he said. “I thought it was a joke and I actually replied, ‘Yeah, they’re shooting tear gas at us, we’re getting ready to attack again.’ I had to apologize ... because I couldn’t even imagine something like that actually happening.”

Around the same time of that text message, he saw dozens of police vehicles racing toward the Capitol, and said “you just heard sirens everywhere.”

The Wednesday events at the Capitol have been strongly rebuked across the country, and many have accused President Trump of inciting the event. The Journal-News sought to speak with those who attended the rally that became a mob charging and entering the Capitol to find out why it happen and opinions of those on the ground.

Ewald said he “couldn’t even imagine something like that,” an invasion by a pro-Trump mob of the U.S. Capitol where five people died. The FBI has released 40 photos of people, asking the public to identify those who made “unlawful entry” into the Capitol Building.

“The main reason I went, despite what all the media is saying, I’m not getting answers on the election fraud,” he said.

Ewald said he defends President Donald Trump’s efforts to have justification or verification pertaining to any alleged election irregularities, and “from my vantage point, when you hear some of that stuff … you just don’t know. I just don’t know what to believe.”

“The bottom line is we’re not getting answers,” he said.

Since the Nov. 3 election, Trump has claimed widespread voter fraud in certain states that went for President-Elect Joe Biden, including Arizona, Wisconsin and Georgia. However, numerous lawsuits filed were dismissed for lack of evidence, and statistics the president continued to recite have been deemed incorrect by election officials.

But Ewald said even though he doesn’t like Biden, he would accept a Biden Administration if an investigation happened and upheld the election results.

The day, as many rally attendees have said, was peaceful when they were rallying at the park, and even on the march toward the Capitol. He did see some people dressed in military-style clothing shouting anti-antifa chants.

Many blame Trump’s speech at the rally as inciting the crowd, and Ewald doesn’t think Trump encouraged the violence that eventually happened.

“His speeches are what they are, but objectively, I don’t think he encouraged violence,” he said, also saying the president is known to be “antagonistic.” “Trump, I could take him or leave him. He’s obnoxious, but for me, he’s done good things (as president).

Trump did talk about going down to the Capitol as lawmakers certified the electoral college votes. Trump told the crowd the Nov. 3 election outcome was an “egregious assault on our democracy” and early on in his speech said “these people are not going to take it any longer.”

Ewald said “Trump is Trump” and said his rhetoric comes from being a “New York businessman, he’s got that New York arrogance.” But he believes the riots were started by some “thugs” who were “looking for trouble,” and Trump supporters let their emotions get away from them.