‘Justice For All’: Trump plays song made with Capitol attack prisoners at club

President-elect Donald Trump caused a stir when earlier this week, he played the song ‘Justice For All’ at his Mar-a-Lago club, a track he recorded with the J6 Prison Choir—a group of 20 individuals jailed for their roles in the deadly January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

Right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson described the scene in a post on X, saying, “Last night I had dinner next to Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. After being welcomed to the dining area with thunderous applause, Trump got out his iPad and began to DJ – as he is known to do. The first song Trump played gave the entire club chills.”

The song was ‘Justice For All’, which combines the American national anthem ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ sung by the choir and Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. It became a cultural flashpoint when it topped iTunes charts after its release in March 2023, surpassing Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’.

Johnson added, “The entire club stood in reverent silence as the haunting song rung out across the cavernous halls. This was a defiant message from President-Elect Trump to January 6th political prisoners: ‘We have not forgotten you. Hold on. Justice is comingâ€æ’”

John Strand, who was convicted for storming the Capitol and served time in prison, echoed the sentiment in a tweet. “Trump knows J6 was a corrupt entrapment event—and that weaponized government must end. Let’s demand ‘J6 Pardons For All!’” he wrote.

Trump’s use of the J6 Prison Choir recording isn’t new – in fact, it has become a staple at his events. At his first 2023 campaign rally in Waco, Texas, he played the song while standing with his hand over his heart. Similarly, he used the track to open a rally in Georgia earlier this year.

Trump has also spoken at fundraisers for the Capitol riot defendants, calling them “political prisoners” and “hostages”, and suggested he would pardon them if re-elected.

Proceeds from the song’s sales go to family members of January 6 defendants, although safeguards are in place to ensure funds don’t support individuals who assaulted law enforcement during the riot.

Critics have called Trump’s actions an attempt to whitewash the Capitol attack, in which thousands of his angry supporters stormed Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 as the Congress was in session to certify Joe Biden’s win in the US election. Trump was accused of inciting the violence, which resulted in his second impeachment and federal felony charges for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

According to the US Justice Department, 1,358 people have been charged in connection to the January 6 insurrection, with 718 pleading guilty, including 213 to felonies.