In this daily series, Newsweek explores the steps that led to the January 6 Capitol Riot.

On January 5, President Donald Trump announced definitively that he would speak during the "Save America" rally on the Ellipse on the south side of the White House. Though the Secret Service had been mapping out his possible participation for days, and Trump had indicated (and people assumed) that he would attend, given all his "see you there" exhortations, this was the first confirmation.

The president told organizers that he wanted to be joined on the dais by members of his family, campaign loyalists, and members of Congress. The National Park Service increased the crowd estimate on the Ellipse rally permit to 30,000—up from the original 5,000 earlier anticipated.