Trump All but Dares His Supporters to Attack the U.S. Capitol Again

In a reasonable society, the insurrection that took place on January 6, 2021, would have (1) resulted in Donald Trump being convicted at his second impeachment trial and barred from ever holding public office again, and (2) been a dark stain on the Republican Party that no one would dare play down or even mention for fear of being associated with a violent, failed coup. Instead, thanks to the GOP’s embrace of fascism, lies, and an aspiring dictator who continues to perpetuate the delusion that he won a second term, it’s become de rigueur for conservatives to whitewash the attack on democracy. Senator Ron Johnson claimed in March that he never feared for his life because the mob was comprised of “people that loved this country.” Rep. Andrew Clyde declared out loud, in public, that the scene that unfolded that day looked like “a normal tourist visit.” And on Sunday, Trump took the gaslighting and bullshit to the next level, rebranding an attempt to overturn the election, which left five people dead and more than 100 officers injured, as a peaceful gathering of “patriots” who were justified in their actions.

“What happened that day from your standpoint?” Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Trump, who responded by saying that the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the insurrection had been called by “patriots” who were merely demonstrating “spirit and faith and love.” Claiming there were “over a million people there,” he added, “They were there for one reason: the rigged election. They felt the election was rigged. That’s why they were there, and they were peaceful people. These were great people. The crowd was unbelievable, and I mention the word love—the love in the air, I’ve never seen anything like it. And that’s why they went to Washington.”

Then he described one of the people who broke into the Capitol as an “innocent, wonderful, incredible woman”…

…before suggesting that her being shot was an inside job by Democrats and possibly someone working for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. (Earlier in the interview, Trump also claimed that Nancy Pelosi was in part to blame for what transpired on January 6, having supposedly ignored his call to have 10,000 National Guardsmen standing by.)

Not surprisingly, basically everything Trump said during the interview was a lie, including the conspiracy theory tying Schumer to some kind of cover-up re: Ashli Babbitt’s death. (According to NBC News’s Tom Winter, the officer who shot Babbitt “was not a part of a specific security detail to a member of Congress,” per a senior law enforcement official.) More disturbing, though, is Trump’s attempt to rewrite history and cast himself and his supporters as the ones who were wronged. As New York’s Jonathan Chait wrote last week after Trump began his campaign to turn Babbitt into a martyr:

[Trump] has slowly turned January 6 from a black mark that threatened to expunge him from Republican politics, to a regrettable episode that his allies preferred to leave behind, to a glorious uprising behind which he could rally his adherents.

The anti-anti-Trump right has dismissed the insurrection as overblown, a protest march gone bad, perhaps ill-considered but never posing any serious threat to the republic. The far right’s highlighting of Babbitt’s death sends a different message: The insurrection was good. Babbitt’s effort to penetrate the defensive barrier was brave, and the stopping of her charge a crime.

By throwing himself behind this message, Trump is endorsing the most radical interpretation of his presidency. January 6 was not a minor misstep after a successful era, as fans like Mike Pence and Lindsey Graham now say. It was the heroic culmination of a righteous uprising.

According to Politico, a source close to Trump said he “feels the energy around [January 6],” having seen “the growing sentiment among his supporters that the rioters and protesters were taking a patriotic stand.” With Trump dubbing their actions at the Capitol noble and good, it’s not hard to see a scenario in which his most rabid fans—like the ones who believe he is the true president— undertake another violent insurrection.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Senator Sherrod Brown revealed photos of the scene he saw at the Capitol last January:

Definitely the work of peace-loving patriots.

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