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BATON ROUGE – Rouses co-owner Donald Rouse Sr. issued a public apology in a radio interview on Friday, about two weeks after he was pictured during a pro-Trump protest that ended in rioters inside the US Capitol.
Rouse told WBOK in New Orleans he showed “bad judgment” by attending the January 6 rally, which ultimately turned violent when protesters stormed the Capitol building and interrupted lawmakers who were confirming the results of the presidential election.
He said in the interview that he was not there to protest the election results but wanted to experience the event firsthand.
“I didn’t go there to support Trump,” Rouse said. “I went over there to hear him speak. Went there … for the budding story I guess I would say.
Rouse added that he didn’t have a ticket and stayed outside the barricade to watch Trump’s speech, reiterating that he left before the protest turned violent. He also said he was one of the few people at the event who wore a mask, which made him feel “a bit out of place”.
Actor Wendell Pierce, who was among those calling for a boycott of the store following the rally, also asked Rouse during the interview if he thought the 2020 presidential election was ‘stolen’.
“No sir, I don’t think the election was stolen,” he said. “I believe Trump was wrong … I will support Joe Biden as long as he is president.”
NOLA.com reports that the businessman also admitted his son had warned him not to travel to Washington, DC, adding that he may have should have listened to him.
WBOK 1230 AM is one of the oldest black owned radio stations in the country. Terrebonne Parish NAACP President Jerome Boykin, a friend of Rouse’s, encouraged him to do the interview with the station.
Boykin said he disagreed with Rouse’s decision to attend the rally but believed “it is clear that Mr. Rouse traveled to all communities, including the African American community. ”
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