National Security

Jan. 6 documentarian says Trump family didn’t feel culpability for Capitol riot

British filmmaker Alex Holder, whose documentary on former President Trump and his inner circle following the 2020 election premiered on Sunday, said Trump family members didn’t feel culpability for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

“Do they feel any culpability for what happened?” asked Robert Costa, guest moderator of CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“I mean, in my interactions with them, no, not at all,” Holder responded. 

“I mean, I think President Trump when I interviewed him in Mar a Lago, he doubled down on the position,” Holder said.  “In fact, he even says that the reason why the protesters went into the Capitol on January 6 was because they had believed that the election was stolen, well who told them that the election was stolen, other than him.”

The three-part documentary premiered on Discovery+ on Sunday morning. The film includes interviews with the former president and members of his family following the 2020 election.


The House select committee investigating Jan. 6 has taken interest in the documentary, and Holder previously turned over footage prior to the film’s release.

“With respect to [Trump’s] children, they declined to discuss the subject of January 6,” Holder said on CBS. “So I think that their silence will be for others to determine what that really means.”

When asked if he thinks Trump will mount another bid for the White House, Holder said he wasn’t sure.

“I think he tends to not do the same thing twice when he fails,” Holder said. 

“And I think the reason for that, and this is what the series shows, is it’s all about the brand,” he continued. “It’s all about the word ‘Trump’ and the association of the word ‘Trump’ to failure is something that he can’t accept, and his kids can’t accept.”

The Hill has reached out to the Trump Organization for comment.