Trump said Saturday to his supporters what He should’ve said on Jan 6--but he Refused
We can't allow Jan 6 to become normalized
Two different Trump rallies that posed a dangerous situation, yet two vastly different responses by Donald Trump. On Saturday, shortly before his rally in Wilmington, North Carolina was scheduled to kick off, the former President --by phone from his private jet—told his supporters who had already gathered that he was cancelling the event because of the threat of severe weather that posed “a certain danger to all.” Trump—whose message played over loudspeakers at the rally—added that “we want to make sure that everybody is safe above all,” as he urged them to quickly “leave the site and seek shelter.”
Yet on Jan 6 as Trump supporters laid siege to the Capitol—with some brutally beating up police officers trying to maintain law and order—Trump refused for more than three hours to swiftly put a statement very much like he did Saturday telling his supporters to immediately “leave the site” for the safety of all.
Instead, as we learned from the bipartisan House committee charged with investigating the Jan 6 attack, “Trump sat in his dining room and watched the attack on television while his senior-most staff closest advisers and family members begged him” to put out a statement urging his supporters to immediately leave. As committee member Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) detailed during a July 2022 hearing focusing on Trump’s conduct during the Jan 6 attack, “When lives and our democracy hung in the balance, President Trump refused to act because of his selfish desire to stay in power."
That is the why for the different conduct by Trump in the face of these two events. On Saturday, after the National Weather Service issued a warning of the likelihood of dangerous winds and hail, Trump appeared to be concerned for his supporters who he desperately needs to win the battleground state of North Carolina--which he barely won in 2020 by less than 1.5%. Thus, Trump promptly directed them to leave to avoid danger.
In contrast, on Jan 6, Trump was concerned with remaining in power despite losing the election and, thus, wanted his supporters to remain there to help him with that task. In fact, more than one hour into the brutal Jan 6 attack that Trump was “gleefully” watching on television per then-White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, Trump incited the crowd even further by attacking his Vice President Mike Pence with a tweet that read Pence “didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.” That Trump tweet incited the crowds both outside the Capitol and inside the Capitol to surge—as documented by the Jan 6 committee.
Worse, in recent years, Trump has celebrated and defended the Jan 6 attackers. Some shockingly unpatriotic examples include Trump speaking at fundraiser he welcomed at his country club that raised funds for those in jail for their role in the attack. Then there’s Trump kicking off his rallies with the announcement “Please rise for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6 hostages" followed by a song recorded by a choir of people convicted of crimes for attacking our Capitol on Trump’s behalf. And Trump has defended the Jan 6 prisoners as “hostages” and “patriots” as he has vowed to pardon them—on “Day One”-- if he is elected in 2024.
It's Trump’s continued praise of the Jan 6 attackers that explains why at Trump’s rally Saturday at least ten men wearing the uniform of The Proud Boys—an extremist organization very involved in the Jan 6 attack—were seen outside the entrance. And it’s why one of those people felt comfortable holding a sign that read, “Free All of the J6 Prisoners.” Several high ranking members of The Proud Boys—who Trump directed at a September 2020 presidential debate to “Stand back and stand by”—have been convicted of serious felonies in connection with the Jan 6 attack, including their leader, Enrique Tarrio who was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. The Proud Boys and the others who attacked the Capitol on Jan 6 were there for Trump which is why Trump has their back if he gets back in office.
While polls are meaningless as to who will win in 2024, a new NBC News poll released Sunday did show us why it’s vitally important that we don’t allow Trump and his allies to downplay the significance of Trump’s attempted coup and Jan 6 attack. In that new NBC News poll, people were asked: “Is there an issue so important that you’ll vote for or against a candidate solely on that basis?” The top answer by far was “protecting democracy and constitutional rights.” That is why we must continually remind people of the threat Trump and MAGA pose to our rights and our democracy—as seen from both Trump/GOP overturning Roe v. Wade and with their support of the man who gave us the Jan 6 attack.
On Saturday, after Trump told his supporters to leave, NBC News reported loud groans of disappointment were heard from the audience. But that was followed by their “swift departure.” On Jan 6, Trump finally released a video at 4:17PMET that called for “peace” and told his supporters, “you have to go home now.” A little over an hour later, the Capitol building was secured.
Trump supporters obviously listen to him. A traitor to our nation who attempted a coup and incited the Jan 6 terrorist attack on our Capitol. This is the man the GOP has chosen to be their 2024 presidential nominee. And again, it’s up to all of us who reject Trump and MAGA to save our democratic Republic.
One of the problems with polls is that they only report "how" people answered a poll question, not "why" people answered that question. Trump and his fellow traitors to America are on constant repeat in their right wing media channels, that Joe Biden (or the left or the Democrats) are the real threat to American democracy. They have no evidence to back that up, but they repeat the lies anyway.
The top answer to the NBC poll question for most important issue was “protecting democracy and constitutional rights.” DO NOT ASSUME THAT'S A GOOD SIGN! Just as many radical right wingers might agree with that as Democrats and other sane Americans do.
No matter how late in the election cycle it is, we can never be complacent. We have to work hard nonstop until the threat of a Trump dictatorship is finally tossed into the dustbin of history.
Was trump really concerned about the safety of his followers at the outdoor rally or was he concerned about himself being pelted with hail and having his toupee blown askew? It would be a first if he were concerned for the welfare of another, but you’re right, it emphasizes how quickly he could have dispersed the mob on January 6th if safety of anyone other than himself were a concern of his.