Kayleigh McEnany Makes Questionable Claims In First Interview Since Leaving White House

In her first interview since her departure from the White House , former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed she could never have foreseen the violence that erupted at the US Capitol on January 6.

I think at the beginning of the day before everyone went to the rally, everyone was expecting peace, McEnany said, in an excerpt of the interview on Fox News The Faulkner Focus released Monday.

We had been to hundreds of rallies Ive probably been to hundreds at this point, certainly many dozens and they were nothing but peaceful events, and we expected that day to be the same.

During that rally, originating as a Stop the Steal event, then-President Donald Trump called his supporters to action, urging them again and again to fight like hell to stop Joe Biden from taking office.

And if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore, Trump said before telling the crowd to march to the US Capitol, where the House and Senate were counting electoral votes.

In her first interview since leaving the White House, @KayleighMcEnany tells Fox News @HarrisFaulkner of her shock and disbelief at deadly Capitol riot. The full interview airs Tuesday at 11am/ET on \"The Faulkner Focus. pic.twitter.com/daffXWgtx2

TV News HQ (@TVNewsHQ) March 1, 2021","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"TV News HQ","author_url":"https://twitter.com/TVNewsHQ","cache_age":86400,"description":"In her first interview since leavingthe White House, @KayleighMcEnany tells Fox News @HarrisFaulkner of her shock and disbelief at deadly Capitol riot. The full interview airs Tuesday at 11am/ET on\"The Faulkner Focus. pic.twitter.com/daffXWgtx2 TV News HQ (@TVNewsHQ) March 1, 2021\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":675,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1366523762682830849/pu/img/W21rXPBtdETQD5bU.jpg","thumbnail_width":1200,"title":"TV News HQ on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/TVNewsHQ/status/1366523851300098050","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"archive","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"au","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"603dc5d9c5b682971502cac2","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/archive/au/entry/kayleigh-mcenany-fox-news_au_603dc5d9c5b682971502cac2","entryTagsList":"donald-trump,politics-and-government,white-house,fox-news,united-states-capitol,kayleigh-mcenany","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"news","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":12},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"603dc5d9c5b682971502cac2","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","links":{"relativeLink":"news/donald-trump","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/donald-trump","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/donald-trump"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/au/topic/donald-trump"},{"name":"Politics and Government","slug":"politics-and-government","links":{"relativeLink":"news/politics-and-government","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/politics-and-government","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/politics-and-government"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/au/topic/politics-and-government"},{"name":"White House","slug":"white-house","links":{"relativeLink":"news/white-house","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/white-house","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/white-house"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/au/topic/white-house"},{"name":"Fox News","slug":"fox-news","links":{"relativeLink":"news/fox-news","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/fox-news","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/fox-news"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/au/topic/fox-news"},{"name":"United States Capitol","slug":"united-states-capitol","links":{"relativeLink":"news/united-states-capitol","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/united-states-capitol","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/united-states-capitol"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/au/topic/united-states-capitol"},{"name":"kayleigh mcenany","slug":"kayleigh-mcenany","links":{"relativeLink":"news/kayleigh-mcenany","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/kayleigh-mcenany","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/news/kayleigh-mcenany"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/au/topic/kayleigh-mcenany"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">

In her first interview since leaving the White House, @KayleighMcEnany tells Fox News @HarrisFaulkner of her shock and disbelief at deadly Capitol riot. The full interview airs Tuesday at 11am/ET on "The Faulkner Focus. pic.twitter.com/daffXWgtx2
TV News HQ (@TVNewsHQ) March 1, 2021

The FBI and the US Capitol Police were aware ahead of the rally that there was potential for violence at the Capitol. The FBI Field Office in Norfolk, Virginia, issued an explicit warning on Jan. 5 that there were plans for extremist violence the following day, The Washington Post reported .

And then as those events transpired, it was disbelief, shock, somber, sad, horrified by the violence, and it was a very hard, difficult day in the White House, there is no doubt, McEnany said.

She said that mood was universal across the White House.

It was a, I should say, widespread feeling, synonymous feeling, completely. A feeling that everyone felt, the just completely condemning the actions of that day. Horrified and very somber.

Yet former Trump aides told CNN last month that Trump enjoyed watching the events unfold. He was loving watching the Capitol mob, one former senior White House official reportedly said. The New York Times reported that Trump was initially pleased as his supporters stormed the building and ignored aides who pleaded for him to intervene.

Eventually, when Trump released a video telling the insurrectionists to stop and go home, he said he could understand how they felt. We love you, the president said. Youre very special.

A day later, McEnany issued a terse statement from the White House briefing room condemning the violence in the strongest possible terms.

The remainder of McEnanys interview will air Tuesday on Fox News .

Never miss a thing. Sign up to HuffPost Australias weekly newsletter for the latest news, exclusives and guides to achieving the good life.