Eugene Goodman Breaks Silence on Jan. 6 Heroics: ‘I Have My Ups and Down’

When Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman ran into a pro-Trump mob in the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year, his first thought was, “Oh, hell.”

“They’re actually in the building,” he remembered, speaking publicly for the first time on an episode of the podcast 3 Brothers No Sense on Tuesday. “They lock eyes on me right away. And then, just like that, I was in it.”

On Jan. 6, Goodman was captured in video footage luring the rioters away from an open door leading to the Senate chamber, where lawmakers were voting to certify the results of the 2020 election.

He likely saved from serious harm former vice president Mike Pence and several senators, including Mitt Romney (R-UT), who Goodman later encountered in a hallway and redirected to safety.

Though he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal for his valor, Goodman has been largely silent about his experience that day.

That’s because “I just don’t want any part of the negativity,” he told the three hosts of 3 Brothers No Sense. Goodman explained that seeing the vitriol directed at more outspoken Capitol police officers like Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone has made him wary of doing interviews.

“He’s said he’s out with his daughter, and he’s had random people run up and throw drinks in his face, and stuff like that,” Goodman said of Fanone.

In breaking his silence for the first time since the attack on the Capitol, Goodman chose to “play it safe,” he said, by speaking with a coworker. Byron Evans, one of the podcast’s hosts, said he had been on-duty as a Capitol police officer during the breach of the building.

“I was on the Senate floor thinking I was going to have my first shootout at work,” Evans said, by way of introducing Goodman. “And because of what he did, that did not have to occur. He is a real-life hero.”

Goodman pushed back on references to his heroism. “I keep asking myself that question every day, like, who the hell am I?” he asked, sounding slightly bewildered by his fame.

“I’m day-to-day with that. I have my ups and down with the popularity,” he told the brothers. Goodman said later that social media users’ designation of a “Eugene Goodman Day” was “way too much.” And a statue, he added, wasn’t necessary.

“That’s just one more thing for a bird to prop up and take a dump on me,” he quipped.

Not everyone has been starstruck by him, however. Goodman explained his daughter remained singularly unimpressed by his sudden celebrity. “All she said was, ‘I saw you on TV,’ and then she went right back to, ‘OK, so I need these V-Bucks for Fortnite,’” he said.

“Which, for me, was good,” he continued, helping to remind him that home was a safe, unchanged place even after the traumatic experience at work.

The officer did address some of the other honors he received following Jan. 6, including his promotion to acting deputy House Sergeant at Arms. As part of his new duties, Goodman was tasked with escorting Vice President Kamala Harris to the presidential inauguration.

“Everybody calls me Gucci at work,” a trend started by Evans, Goodman said, in reference to the blue scarf he wore to the ceremony.

He explained that he’d fallen back on his military training during the insurrection, and that his time serving in the U.S. Army had taught him to “think on the fly” because “nothing ever went to plan.” His platoon sergeant, Goodman added, would tell his troops to “figure it out or die.”

He also said that the police’s controversial choice not to use harsher measures with the mob had been the right decision. Goodman said he’d since “heard stories” of rioters being armed during the attack.

“It could have easily been a bloodbath, so kudos to everybody there that showed a measure of restraint with regards to deadly force, because it could have been bad,” Goodman said. “Really, really bad.”