Former President Donald Trump, the 2024 GOP frontrunner, opened his speech in Houston, Texas, on Sunday by describing his supporters imprisoned for crimes connected to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot as “hostages.”

The remark came as over 200 people taken hostage by Hamas during their Oct. 7 attack on Israel are still unaccounted for. Four have been released, two of which were Americans. U.S. officials have not said if there are any other Americans believed to be among the hostages.

Trump did not bring up the Hamas hostages and only mentioned the war in Israel and Gaza in passing in his 90 minute speech.

The former president stood saluting on the stage before his speech, backed by a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner sung by a choir of jailed men accused and convicted of crimes connected to the Jan. 6 insurrection, interspersed with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The song, titled “Justice for All” was recorded earlier this year by the J6 Prison Choir.

“You know that was? I call them the J6 hostages, not prisoners. I call them the hostages,” Trump said in the first moments of his speech at an offshore drilling company’s facility. “They asked me whether or not I would partake and do the beautiful words. I said, yes, I would. And you saw the spirit, the spirit was incredible.”

When asked by email if the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which is responsible for most of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot prosecutions, had any comment on Trump’s characterization, a spokesperson replied “no, thank you.”

As of Oct 6, 1,185 people have been charged with crimes connected to the insurrection, according to the latest Department of Justice data. Of those charged, 660 entered guilty pleas, including nearly 200 who pleaded guilty to felonies. At trial, 122 were found guilty, including key members and leaders of a pro-Trump militia and street gang, some of whom have received decades in prison. 

Five of the roughly 15 members of the J6 Prison Choir were identified by the Washington Post in May. All five have since either been convicted or pleaded guilty. Four were charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer, including Julian Khater, 34, who pleaded guilty before the song was recorded to assaulting multiple officers and was sentenced to almost six years in prison.
One of the officers Khater assaulted with pepper spray was Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknik. Sicknick died the next day from natural causes according to the Washington, D.C., chief medical examiner at the time, who also said “all that transpired played a role in his condition.”

Jonathan G. Mellis, 35, pleaded guilty in June to felony assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon after using a large wooden stick to attempt to strike officers where their armor was weakest. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

William Chrestman, 49, a Kansas City-area member of the Proud Boys, pleaded guilty earlier this month to two felonies for his role in the riot – threatening to assault a federal officer and obstructing an official proceeding. Prosecutors said he played a key role in the attack and wielded an ax handle.

Marine Corps veteran Ryan Nichols, 32, took a plea deal earlier this month on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding police and obstructing an official proceeding after prosecutors revealed images they said showed him spraying chemical irritants and wielding a crowbar in the rioting crowd. He called for dragging politicians through the streets, prosecutors said.

And Shane Jenkins, 45, was sentenced to six years in prison and three years of supervised release on Oct. 6 after being convicted of seven felonies and two misdemeanors. He threatened to kill Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to prosecutors. He used a tomahawk to smash the windows of the Capitol, assembled furniture to use as weapons and then used those weapons on law enforcement officers. 

"I have murder in my heart and head,” Jenkins wrote to an associate in the weeks after the riot, prosecutors said.

Trump made the trip to Houston as he campaigns to secure the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He holds a massive lead in national and state polls, including in delegate-rich Texas where recent polls show him up 40 to 50 percentage points.

“It's the most important election of your lives. And I love your state. I'll always take care of your state. Go out and vote,” Trump said at the conclusion of his speech. “We're going to make America great again. We're going to make it greater than ever before.”