WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - President Joe Biden will mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly Jan 6 assault on the United States Capitol by former president Donald Trump's followers with a speech on Thursday (Jan 6) warning of the threats to democracy.
The White House said Mr Biden would push back against Mr Trump's false claims, adopted by many of his followers, that his election defeat was the result of widespread fraud, as well as attempts to downplay the violence of the worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812.
"The President is going to speak to the truth of what happened, not the lies that some have spread since, and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance," White House spokesman Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday, in the first preview of Mr Biden's remarks.
Mr Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris will speak on Thursday morning at the US Capitol, one year after thousands of Trump supporters raided the complex in a failed attempt to stop the counting of Electoral College votes by lawmakers that officially delivered the Democratic president's election victory.
Mr Trump on Tuesday cancelled a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that had been scheduled for Thursday, saying he would address many of the same topics at a rally in Arizona on Jan 15 instead.
Mr Trump, some fellow Republicans and right-wing media personalities have pushed false accounts to downplay the Jan 6 attack, calling it a non-violent protest or blaming left-wing activists.
Four people died on the day of the riot, and one Capitol police officer died the day after defending Congress.
Dozens of police were injured during the multi-hour onslaught by Trump supporters, and four officers have since taken their own lives.
Ms Psaki was asked what the President's message will be to the many Republicans who believe Mr Biden stole the election from Mr Trump, despite overwhelming contrary evidence.
"What he's going to continue to do is speak to everyone in the country - those who didn't vote for him, those who may not believe he is the legitimate president - about what he wants to do to make their lives better," she said.
The White House is struggling to get voting rights legislation through the US Senate that would counter new laws in Republican-led states that Democrats say would limit left-leaning voters.
Two sources told Reuters that Mr Biden and Ms Harris do not plan to use the Jan 6 event to push for voting rights legislation.
