Trump delivered anarchy to the U.S.A.
It was a day of rage, insurrection and anarchy in the United States. It was also, mercifully, a day when democracy finally stood firm and prevailed.
Seldom, within the span of 24 hours, have both the worst and best of this mystifying nation been on such live-time display as they were Wednesday, when a mob of Donald Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C., and forced U.S. lawmakers to flee. At the time, Congress had been in session to confirm Joe Biden’s victory in last November’s presidential election. But earlier the same day, Trump incited supporters at a Washington “Stop-the-steal” rally to “fight” to keep him president.
Although what followed was shocking in scale, it should not have been entirely surprising. Spewing endless lies about electoral fraud that were repeatedly rejected by the courts, Trump had for months fuelled the paranoid fantasies of his followers. On Wednesday, he simply lit a match and set everything ablaze.
Do not mistake the ensuing inferno as a protest that inadvertently got out of hand. It was planned and deliberate. Among the hundreds of people who breached the barricades and took over the Capitol were men carrying military-style weapons and gear. Explosive devices were recovered outside the building. In interviews with media, many Trump supporters denounced the nation’s lawmakers as “traitors” who deserved to be “executed.”
This was nothing less than an attempted insurrection aimed at overpowering democratically elected lawmakers — and heaven knows what else. While four people died in the mayhem — including a woman shot by police — it is not hard to conclude that members of Congress might have been killed.
Fortunately, they were all ushered to safety. And it is to the credit of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives that they returned to the Capitol the same day and on Thursday officially named Biden the next U.S. president. Under the still uncertain circumstances, this took courage. And it showed everyone the rule of law and democracy itself remain intact, if thoroughly shaken, in America.
Further proof of this resiliency came as the results of this week’s Senate run-off election in Georgia were confirmed, with the two Democratic candidates defeating their incumbent Republican rivals. This result not only gives control of the Senate to the Democrats for the next two years, it should convince Republicans to banish Trump from their party forever.
After four years of this disruptive demagogue, the Republicans have successively lost control of the House of Representatives, White House and now Senate. Trump retains his ability to inspire a dangerous fringe. The tide of public opinion, however, has turned against a president who increasingly appears to have lost his emotional and mental balance.
In the coming weeks, there must be a full, forensic investigation of how the Capitol police, with 2,000 officers, failed to prevent Trump loyalists from taking over the Capitol building. Security has been far more rigorous for many other protesters, including those in the Black Lives Matter movement, and many people are asking whether a mob consisting mainly of white men met a more sympathetic response from police.
A more urgent and immediate question is what to do with Trump to prevent him from causing more damage in the final 12 days of his term. Removing him from office — which can legally be done — might strike some people as extreme.
It’s not. And it’s less outrageous than turning blind eyes to a president who shamefully conspired to subvert the government and constitution of the United States.