BATON ROUGE – Rouses co-owner Donald Rouse Sr. issued a public apology during a radio interview on Friday, about two weeks after being photographed in a pro-Trump protest that ended riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Rouse told WBOK in New Orleans that he exercised “bad judgment” in attending the Jan. 6 rally, which eventually turned violent when protesters stormed the Capitol building and disrupted lawmakers who were in the process of confirming the results of the presidential election.
He said during the interview that he was not there to protest the election results, but he wanted to experience the event first hand.
“I didn’t go there to support Trump,” Rouse said. “I went there to hear him talk. I went there … for the story going on, I guess I’d say it.”
Rouse added that he had no ticket and stayed outside the barricade to watch Trump’s speech, reiterating that he left before the protest became violent. He also said he was one of the few people at the event wearing a mask, which made him feel “a little out of place”.
Actor Wendell Pierce, who was among those calling for a boycott of the store after the rally, also asked Rouse during the interview if he believed the 2020 presidential election was “stolen.”
“No sir, I don’t think the elections were stolen,” he said. “I think Trump was wrong … I will support Joe Biden while he is president.”
NOLA.com reports that the employer also admitted that his son warned him not to go to Washington, DC, adding that perhaps he should have listened to him.
WBOK 1230 AM is one of the long-running radio stations in the country. Terrebonne Parish NAACP President Jerome Boykin, a friend of Rouse, encouraged him to do the interview with the station.
Boykin said he disagreed with Rouse’s decision to attend the rally, but that he believes “it is clear that Mr. Rouse has returned to all communities, including the African American community. ”