Biden says all Americans must 'defend the truth'

President Joe Biden has responded to the acquittal of Donald Trump by stating that all Americans, especially the nation's leaders, have a duty and responsibility “to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.” Biden says that in doing so, “that is how we end this uncivil war and heal the very soul of our nation. That is the task ahead. And it’s a task we must undertake together.”

The new president also says "that violence and extremism has no place in America.” The White House issued Biden’s statement late Saturday night, several hours after the Senate failed to muster the two-thirds vote needed to convict Trump of incitement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The 57-43 vote included seven members of Trump’s own Republican Party. In looking back on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and Trump's role in it, Biden says “this sad chapter” in American history is a reminder that democracy is fragile and must always be defended. He also says that the nation “must be ever vigilant.”