Trump claims crowd at January 6 rally before Capitol assault was "loving"

Washington — Former President Donald Trump claimed the crowd of his supporters who gathered outside the White House for a rally on January 6 before the assault on the U.S. Capitol was "loving," according to published audio of an interview he conducted with a pair of Washington Post reporters.

Mr. Trump discussed the rally at the Ellipse during a March interview with reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker for their new book "I Alone Can Fix It," and said the audience was there to support his unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him. "It was a loving crowd, too, by the way. There was a lot of love," the former president said during their meeting at his South Florida club, Mar-A-Lago, according to the audio. "I've heard that from everybody. Many, many have told me that was a loving crowd."