Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Who organized or promoted the 'Hang Mike Pence' chants before and during January 6, 2021?
Executive summary
Video, journalists and fact-checkers agree that crowds at and around the U.S. Capitol chanted “Hang Mike Pence” on January 6, 2021, and a makeshift gallows and noose were visible outside the Capitol [1] [2]. Reporting and Jan. 6 Committee testimony indicate the chants erupted as a reaction to Vice President Pence’s refusal to try to overturn the election results and that some White House officials later described President Trump as reacting with apparent approval to those chants [3] [4] [5].
1. What actually happened on the ground — chants documented on video
Multiple news outlets and a dedicated fact-checker documented that pro‑Trump rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence” while storming the Capitol and that the phrase trended on social platforms that day, prompting moderation actions [1] [6] [2]. Reuters photographer Jim Bourg and other eyewitnesses reported hearing explicit calls to find and hang Pence, and C‑SPAN and archived video clips captured attendees chanting the phrase near a mock gallows outside the West side of the Capitol [1] [7] [2].
2. Why participants chanted it — context from reporting and testimony
Reporting ties the chants to Pence’s decision to not block certification of the Electoral College; protesters blamed him for failing to overturn the election results and sought retribution [3] [8]. The chant appears to have been a spontaneous, crowd-driven reaction to Pence’s public stance and to President Trump’s earlier public criticism of Pence that day — notably a tweet saying Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done,” which inflamed parts of the crowd [9] [3].
3. Was the chant “organized” or centrally promoted?
The available sources do not identify any single organiser or campaign that formally scripted or promoted the specific chant “Hang Mike Pence” in advance. Coverage describes it as a chant that “broke out” among members of the mob as they converged on the Capitol [3] [1]. Wikipedia and news reports attribute the chant to the crowd’s reaction rather than to a named organizer arranging pre-planned choreography [9] [1].
4. The role of social and political amplification
Several sources connect social media rhetoric and political messaging in the lead‑up to Jan. 6 with an environment that encouraged violent language about Pence. Fact‑checking and reporting show that in days before Jan. 6 many online users — and public statements from political figures — falsely asserted Pence could overturn the election, creating grievance that contributed to the day’s hostility [1] [9]. Twitter’s temporary blocking of the phrase after it trended indicates that online sharing amplified the chant quickly after the riot began [6].
5. White House reaction and subsequent testimony
The House Jan. 6 Committee and multiple news organizations reported testimony that, once the chants began, President Trump expressed apparent approval — with at least one account describing him as saying Pence “deserves” it or “maybe” he should be hung; Trump has denied those accounts [3] [4] [5] [10]. Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony relayed staff recollections of Trump reacting to the chants, and witnesses to the committee reported that aides, including Mark Meadows, conveyed those reactions [10] [3]. These are contested recollections: the sources note denials from Trump and limited public comment from some aides [10] [11].
6. Competing narratives and evidentiary limits
Mainstream news outlets, the Jan. 6 Committee, and Snopes treat the chants and the gallows imagery as factual and documented [1] [2]. At the same time, specific claims about who verbally approved or organized those chants (for example, whether Trump directed them or whether any group planned that exact slogan ahead of time) remain disputed or unproven in the provided sources — some testimony asserts presidential approval after the fact, while denials exist and no single smoking‑gun source in this collection proves premeditated organization of that exact chant by named leaders [3] [4] [10] [11]. Available sources do not mention a named organizer who promoted the chant in advance.
7. Why this matters — incentives and agendas
Different actors have incentives to emphasize different parts of this record. Investigative committees and journalists emphasize documented threats and testimony to explain potential criminal and political accountability [3] [5]. Supporters of then‑President Trump or some aides have incentives to dispute characterizations that suggest endorsement of violence; those denials are reflected in the sources [10] [11]. Fact‑checkers focus on whether the chant and threats occurred, not on proving broader conspiratorial planning beyond crowd behavior [1].
8. Bottom line
Video, photography and multiple contemporaneous news reports confirm that rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence” and displayed a gallows outside the Capitol on Jan. 6 [1] [2]. Reporting and committee testimony link the chant to anger over Pence’s refusal to block certification and describe how some in the White House later reacted — but the sources do not identify a clear, named organizer who promoted the chant beforehand; they describe it as a crowd reaction amplified by prior rhetoric and online activity [3] [1] [6].