BATON ROUGE – Rouses co-owner Donald Rouse Sr. issued a public apology on Friday during a radio interview about two weeks after he was photographed at a pro-Trump protest that ended in riots in the US Chapter.
Rouse told the WBOK in New Orleans that he exercised “poor judgment” in attending the Jan. 6 rally, which eventually turned violent when protesters stormed the Capitol building and disrupted lawmakers in the process. to confirm the results of the presidential election.
He said during the interview that he was not there to protest the election results, but wanted to live the event live.
“I didn’t go there in support of Trump,” Rouse said. “I went there to hear him talk. I went there … for the ongoing story, I think I would say.”
Rouse added that he did not have a ticket and stayed outside the barricade to watch Trump’s speech, reiterating that he left before the protest became violent. He also said that he is one of the few people at the event who wears a mask, making him feel “a little 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 believed the 2020 presidential election had been “stolen.”
“No sir, I don’t think the election was stolen,” he said. “I think Trump was wrong … I will support Joe Biden as long as he is president.”
NOLA.com reports that the businessman also admitted that his son warned him against going to Washington, DC, adding that maybe he should have listened to him.
WBOK 1230 AM is one of the oldest black-owned radio stations in the country. NAACP Terrebonne Parish President Jerome Boykin, a friend of Rouse’s, encouraged him to do the job interview.
Boykin said he disagreed with Rouse’s decision to attend the rally, but said “it is clear that Mr. Rouse gave back to all communities, including the African-American community. ”