On the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, we must rally to derail the dangerous Donald Trump train
Three years ago today, the president of the United States of America attempted to overthrow the country.
He invited a horde of angry, violent, armed people to the nation’s capital and incited them to riot, to try to overturn the results of a fair, honest election. Law enforcement officials were attacked and people died. It was a horrific day to watch unfold.
That seems kind of important.
But here we are, on Jan. 6, 2024, and that same disgraced former president, with a long list of serious criminal allegations and civil judgements against him for fraud and defamation, is the overwhelming favorite to be nominated by the Republican Party for a third run at the White House. Polls indicate he is running close to or even ahead of the current president.
How is this possible? What does it mean for our country?
President Joe Biden, in a speech at Valley Forge, Pa., on Friday, a historic location, pondered that same question.
“Today we are here to answer the most important of questions: Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?” Biden said. “This isn’t rhetorical, academic, or hypothetical. Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time. It is what the 2024 election is all about.”
That is exactly the point. We are teetering on the brink of the end of the American Experiment. This election is as important as any in our lifetimes.
Trump provided further proof Friday night. He was in Sioux Center, Iowa, and up to his usual foul tricks, mocking people who stutter and saying without him, the nation was doomed.
“We’re going to hell — you don’t mind me using that horrible word, do you?” Trump asked.
Normally, folks in northwest Iowa are hesitant to swear. But with Trump, there are no limits. No matter what he says or does, or how often he is charged with a crime, his supporters are with him.
It’s like he said in Sioux Center on Jan. 23, 2016: “I have the most loyal people, did you ever see that?” Trump said eight years ago. “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot people and I wouldn’t lose voters.”
I remember it well, since I covered that speech. We thought Trump (seen above in 2017 in a public domain photo posted on wikimedia commons) was a sideshow, a “reality TV” star trying to grab the spotlight and hustle a few bucks. A serious contender for the presidency? No, of course not. His insults and crude language and behavior surely disqualified him, didn’t it?
Instead, that very bluster, his bragging and sneering at his political rivals, the media and anyone else who crosses his bath seems to thrill his mob. They revel in the anger and hatred he spews.
Why? They fear change and long for a world that never actually existed.
“With the changing complexion of society, the feminization of the workforce, and the graying of America, change and demands for it have upended the lives of many white Americans,” wrote Derald Wing Sue, a professor of counseling psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. “There is fear that a ‘way of life’ is being lost, that they have been forced to change without their consent, and that white-cherished values and traditions are being assailed. The slogan ‘Make America Great Again,’ disguises white supremacy, and a yearning to return to a romanticized era where minoritized individuals ‘knew their place.’”
Trump is campaigning across Iowa now, trying to wrap up a win in the Iowa Caucuses, which kick off the GOP presidential contest. He has a massive lead over his two main challengers, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Gov. Kristi Noem has been cheering him on, while hoping he selects her as his running mate.
There once was a larger pool of Republican hopefuls, including Mike Pence, who was Trump’s vice president and one of the main targets of the Jan. 6 rioters. They vowed to hang him because he would not subvert the election and grant Trump a second term.
Trump supporters are willing to ignore that.
Pence never caught on with Iowa Republicans. I covered an event last summer, and he drew a small crowd. I struggled to find anyone there who actually supported him. He dropped out in October, and that barely made a ripple.
If Trump rolls to an easy win in the early contests and essentially wraps up the nomination early, he can try to balance the four trials he faces with running for president.
Yes, that sounds crazy, but here we are.
“The math works out where if he really runs away with it in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, it sets him up to potentially clinch all of the delegates he needs by Super Tuesday or within a week or two — by mid-March at the latest — if he keeps up this momentum,” said Scott Tranter, director of data science at Decision Desk HQ, told The Hill.
America is at a crossroads with an out-of-control train rampaging toward us. We saw how bad things can get three years ago today. It’s up to American voters to ensure we never come that close again to losing the democracy we have struggled so long to create and improve.
That seems worth noting on this date.
Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states and contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets.
