The riot wasn’t the attempt: it was the threat of violence that underscored the attempt, which was to happen in the chamber when Mike Pence chickened out (ask Chuck Grassley).

Only for once he didn’t chicken out.

Trump’s obvious, incandescent anger at Pence not doing his bidding makes it clear what that whole “protest” (along with Trump’s own plan to join it) was all about.

Any other interpretation is really a ludicrous, bad faith reframing of quite commonplace behaviour in attempted overthrows.