BATON ROUGE – Rouses co-owner Donald Rouse Sr. apologized during a radio interview Friday, about two weeks after he was photographed during a pro-Trump protest that ended with rioters in the Capitol.
Rouse told WBOK in New Orleans that he had “poor judgment” attending the Jan. 6 rally, which eventually turned violent as protesters stormed the Capitol and interrupted lawmakers who were confirming the results of the presidential election.
He said during 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 there to hear him speak. I went there … for history in the making, I would say. ‘
Rouse added that he had no 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 little out of place.”
Actor Wendell Pierce, who called for a boycott of the store after the meeting, also asked Rouse during the interview if he thought the 2020 presidential election had been ‘stolen’.
“No sir, I don’t think the election was stolen,” he said. “I believe Trump was wrong … I support Joe Biden as long as he is president.”
NOLA.com reports that the businessman also admitted that his son warned him not to go to Washington, DC, adding that he may have had to listen to him.
WBOK 1230 AM is one of the longest running 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 meeting, but he thinks “that’s clear. Mr. Rouse has given back to all communities, including the African American community. ”