If the indefinitely postponed J6 Awards gala ever takes place, one very special attendee will be in for a treat.
According to the gala’s website, the plaque celebrates the “platinum status” achieved by the song “Justice for All,” in which accused rioters sing the “Star-Spangled Banner” interspersed with the 2024 Republican presidential candidate reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
“This unique and exclusive item is a personalized signed platinum plaque commemorating the song “Justice for All” featuring President Trump and twenty January 6th defendants,” the website states. “The plaque celebrates the powerful collaboration that led to platinum status, symbolizing the courage and resilience of those involved.”
“Released on March 3, 2023, this song quickly went platinum, thanks to your unwavering support,” the site says.
There’s just one problem: the song never went platinum.
In music industry jargon, metallurgical and geological designations refer to certifications granted by the Recording Industry Association of America.
For a single to be certified gold, it must sell 500,000 copies. To become platinum, it must sell 1 million copies. Songs that can prove they have sold 10 million copies can be certified diamond.
But “Justice For All” is not certified platinum. The RIAA’s website that lists gold and platinum-certified songs does not include any music by Donald Trump or the J6 Prison Choir.
“Our understanding is that the title is not yet close to Gold certification,” Erin Burr, an RIAA executive who oversees the certification program, told Business Insider in an email.
The J6 Awards gala promises to auction off a plaque commemorating the “platinum status” of Donald Trump’s musical single. In reality, the song has not been certified platinum. Stand In the Gap Foundation
Two songs about Trump’s wealth, however, have earned RIAA certifications. Mac Miller’s 2011 “Donald Trump” — who later feuded with Trump over the lyrics and called him a “delusional waste of skin and bones” — went platinum. Rae Sremmurd’s 2018 song “Up Like Trump” went gold.
To be sure, “Justice for All” has had some success. An image of the plaque included on the event’s website correctly states that the song ranked No. 1 on the weekly digital song sales chart at some point in March 2023 and reached No. 4 on the “Bubbling Under Hot 100,” according to Billboard charts reviewed by BI.
While the data collected by Billboard may be used to submit songs for RIAA certification, it is not involved in the certification process. A representative for Billboard did not respond to BI’s request for comment regarding the use of its logo on the “Justice For All” plaque.
According to Forbes, “Justice For All” is the brainchild of former Fox News anchor Ed Henry. Trump recorded a recording of himself saying the Pledge of Allegiance from his Mar-a-Lago home specifically for the song, while the prison choir sang their part on a prison phone, according to the Forbes report.
The J6 Awards gala was originally scheduled to be held Thursday at Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, and was intended to raise money for the legal defense of the January 6 defendants. Tickets range from $1,500 to $50,000 and include access to “J6ers,” hors d’oeuvres and the venue’s open bar.
Proceeds from the auction of the “Justice for All” plaque would “directly support the January 6 defendants and their families” and help “the lives of those who have shown incredible courage and sacrifice,” the website said.
It is unclear what awards will be handed out at the event, or how organizers will verify whether the recipients’ accomplishments are real.
Trump said he would pardon participants in the January 6 riots. He added that pardons would be granted to people who assaulted police officers “if they are innocent.”
Although Trump was invited to the event, he was not a confirmed speaker. Rudy Giuliani, his former personal attorney and occasional co-defendant, was scheduled to speak, as was former White House official Peter Navarro, who recently served time in prison for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the congressional committee investigating the Capitol attack.
Sarah McAbee, who heads the Stand In The Gap foundation that sponsors the gala, said in a text message obtained by The New York Times that it would be postponed until after the November election for “security reasons.”
Her husband, former Tennessee Deputy Sheriff Ronald McAbee, was sentenced to five years in prison earlier this year for assaulting a law enforcement officer, bringing a gun with him into the U.S. Capitol and trying to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election.
At McAbee’s sentencing hearing, federal judge Rudolph Contreras called him an “enraged, violent man” who “wore a bulletproof vest and heavy gloves, swearing” as he attacked one police officer and dragged another into a “riotous crowd.”
“The defendant was part of the group of rioters who attacked law enforcement,” Contreras said. “He took part in some of the most violent clashes that took place that day in the Lower West Terrace Arch Tunnel.”
It is unclear whether Ronald McAbee is a member of the J6 prison choir. Sarah McAbee did not respond to requests for comment.
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