Scott Brown, seeking a Trump endorsement, apologizes for January 6 criticism

As he seeks a Trump endorsement that may never come, 2026 GOP Senate candidate Scott Brown issued a public apology for criticizingthe president’s handling of the January 6, 2021 riot.

Massachusetts politician and former U.S. Ambassador Scott Brown wants President Donald Trump to endorse him for US Senator in New Hampshire. However, he once blamed Trump for the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the country’s Capitol and praised then-Vice President Mike Pence for upholding the Constitution.  Now, he’s walking back his criticism — publicly apologizing to the president just as he launches his campaign.

Brown remarked that the former president “bears responsibility” for the Capitol riot and that his presidency was “diminished” as a result. But in a recent interview with Sean Hannity, Brown reversed course.

“I said he could have done more, and he bore some responsibility in that January 6 situation. And I was wrong. And I apologize,” Brown told Hannity in February 2025. “I wake up every day thinking how lucky we are that we have him.”

The reversal marks a stark contrast from Brown’s earlier comments.

In a May 2021 interview with CNN, Brown told Dana Bash that Trump’s actions warranted investigation and accountability. 

“Absolutely, I mean he bears responsibility,” Brown said at the time. “I think his presidency was diminished as a result of this, and I think he’s paying a price. He’s been impeached twice.”

Brown also supported the formation of an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack, comparing the need for answers to the aftermath of 9/11. 

“They weren’t tourists,” he said of the rioters. “They weren’t visiting just to have fun.”

As recently as September 2023, Brown praised Pence for resisting Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election. Speaking at a “No B.S. Backyard Barbecue” event, Brown applauded Pence for refusing to “suspend the Constitution.”

“I don’t care who you are, you do not suspend our Constitution,” Brown said. “I thought it was the most pivotal moment of the entire debate.”

Now, just two years later, Brown is praising Trump’s “speed and progress” and aligning himself more closely with the president as he seeks to re-enter the political arena.

The about-face has raised questions about Brown’s political convictions as he repositions himself in a Republican Party largely dominated by Trump. But he vies for a speedy endorsement by the president that has yet to arrive.

“You endorsed Donald Trump in 2016 before it was really popular. You were part of the vanguard in getting behind him and his first presidential campaign, is it a bad sign he has not returned the favor and endorsed you right out of the gate for senate?” asked WMUR Political Director Adam Sexton during a recent interview with Brown with the headline “Scott Brown shrugs off lack of early Trump endorsement”.

“Obviously, I would appreciate [President Trump’s] support, and I’ve obviously met with the team.” Brown said.

Top Democratic strategists in the state say Brown’s seeming willingness to compromise his personal values for a Trump endorsement will make for a tough sell to Granite State voters.

“I will never forget being in the basement of the Capitol on January 6th and hearing the insurrectionists chanting through the ceiling above me.” Said Aaron Jacobs, a former campaign manager for Senator Maggie Hassan and highly sought after strategist in the state.

“It is beyond pathetic to see Scott Brown groveling at the feet of Donald Trump to try to get his endorsement. Brown will continue to debase himself in the name of loyalty to Trump, because that’s all he cares about. The people of New Hampshire deserve far, far better.”