Two years ago the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6 was an attack on the country's democracy but "we the people prevailed", President Joe Biden has said.

"The US Capitol was breached, which had never happened before in the history of the United States of America, even during the Civil War," he said, remembering the day when a violent mob surged through it, assaulting law enforcement officers and vandalising its hall.

Former president Donald Trump was charged by the House of Representatives for inciting the unprecedented insurrection and it led to his impeachment.

“Two years ago on January 6, our democracy was attacked. There's no other way of saying it," said Biden at a ceremony to bestow the Presidential Citizen's Medal, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, for the first time in his presidency. He also told the gathering at the White House that the violent mob of insurrectionists not only assaulted law enforcement officers and vandalised sacred halls, but also hunted down elected officials, all for an attempt to overthrow the will of the people and usurp the peaceful transfer of power.

“All of it, all of it was fuelled by lies about the 2020 election. But on this day two years ago, our democracy held because we the people, as the Constitution refers to us, we the people did not flinch. We the people endured,” the president said.

“We the people prevailed. And on this day of remembrance, joined by the Vice President and the second gentleman and all of you, we honour a remarkable group of Americans who embodied the best before, during and after January the 6th, 2021,” Biden said.

The award recognises "citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens," he said.

Biden said that soon after his inauguration, he travelled to England for the G-7 summit and there, “I sat next to the president of France, across from the chancellor from Germany, etc, and I said America's back.” “You know what the response was? Not a joke. For how long? For how long?” Biden said.

"I just sat there and looked -- and I believe it was the prime minister of Italy who said it, but I can't remember for certain which of the seven -- the six said it,” he said.

“...said what would you think, Mr. President, if tomorrow you woke up and you had a headline in the press saying that in the British Parliament a mob had come down the hall, broken down the doors of the House of Commons, police officers that were killed or died, the place was vandalized in order to overthrow the election of the speaker of the House or prime minister's election…” Biden recalled as being asked “What would we think if we heard that news today, if any other leading democracy in the world went through this?” he asked.

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