Totally appropriate: Donald Trump defends his speech before Capitol Hill riots, says free speech is under assault like never before

Washington: On the eve of his likely impeachment, US President Donald Trump has denied responsibility for the storming of Congress by a mob of his supporters, and warned of "tremendous anger" across the country. Although Trump also urged "peace and calm" during a visit to his US-Mexico border wall in Alamo, Texas, his overall message was of defiance and refusal to take the blame.

Free speech is under assault in the United States like never before, outgoing President Donald Trump said as almost all major social media outlets moved to block him following the breach of the Capitol Hill by his supporters.

In his first public speech on Tuesday after the January 6 storming of the US Capitol, Trump, in a Texas border town, addressed for the first time several issues, including impeachment proceedings against him, last week's incident itself and the call to invoke the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution wherein he can be removed by his cabinet members.

"Free speech is under assault like never before. The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration. As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for," Trump said in his remarks at a border wall in Texas.

"The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country and is causing tremendous anger and division, and pain far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time," he said.

Referring to last week's events, Trump said millions of Americans watched on as a mob stormed the Capitol and trashed the halls of the government. "I have consistently said throughout my administration, we believe in respecting America's history and traditions, not tearing them down. We believe in the rule of law, not in violence or rioting," he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it a very difficult year and a difficult election for the US, Trump said.

"Now is the time for our nation to heal, and it is time for peace and for calm, respect for law enforcement and the great people within law enforcement. So many are here is the foundation of the MAGA agenda and we are a nation of law, and we are a nation of order," the President said.