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Americans think the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress is still one of the major policy traumas of recent years. Several commemorative ceremonies were organized to mark the anniversary of the attack, and many newspapers, especially those of the center-left, described the day as a time when American democracy was in danger of being overthrown, not only by rebels in Congress but also above. And it all started with the political maneuvers of Donald Trump and his followers.
January 6 is also the moment of deep division between Trump and the Republican Party, which by then had followed the president’s line, accepting his violent language and discriminatory and illiberal political proposals.
Then when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Congress building to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election, some prominent conservative personalities seemed to be liberated for a moment from Trump’s influence.
The attack on Congress eventually broke the political alliance between Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, accused by Trump supporters of not doing enough to block Biden’s election. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, said Trump had “incited” the rebels. Even Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republican MPs, said that the outgoing president had “responsibility” for the violence in Congress, where five people died.
It is learned that at a time when the attack was continuing in Congress, some presenters of Fox News, the television network that over the years has established a symbiotic relationship with Trump and his electorate, wrote to the White House chief of staff asking the President to intervene to stop the violence.
“The president should tell the people at the Capitol to go home. This violence is hurting us all, it is destroying the political heritageWrote Laura Ingraham, one of Fox’s most popular presenters.
Trump sent a video message to the rebels at a time when the attack on Congress was coming to an end, telling them to go home, but added: “We love you.”
However, this split of Donald Trump with the Republican Party did not last long. Within a few weeks most of the Conservatives who had condemned Trump took the floor and started supporting him as before. Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, despite her disturbing private messages, just hours after the attack began spreading the false theory on live TV that the attack was instigated by far-left infiltrators.
A few days later, the House of Representatives launched a lawsuit to fire Trump for his role in the attack on Congress, but only ten Republican lawmakers voted in favor. In the Senate, only seven senators. Some Republicans who voted for his dismissal were later expelled from the party, as was the case, for example, with Liz Cheney, the daughter of the former U.S. vice president.
In the following months, Democrats in the House of Representatives also set up a Commission of Inquiry into the January 6 events, which was nevertheless boycotted by the entire Republican leadership, which tried in every way to prevent and delay the start of work. Only two Republicans agreed to join the commission: Liz Cheney and Adam Kinizinger.
Overall, Trump today remains the most influential and powerful figure in the American conservative landscape, and much of the Republican Party adheres to his interpretation of the January 6 events or at least decided not to criticize it publicly.
Trump has stated that Biden’s victory in 2020 came as a result of manipulation and for this reason he still continues to be the legitimate president of the United States, becoming one of the greatest victims of American political history. Therefore, according to him, the attack on Congress was not an attempt at insurrection, but a legitimate protest of patriots to defend democracy.
So far no evidence has been published that there has been manipulation of the US presidential election and despite this, in some states the votes have been recounted several times, always at the request of conservative groups.
Some commentators think the strong Republican Party extremism could be a threat to democracy. In recent months, Anglo-Saxon newspapers have published numerous articles on the subject, and more or less all have noticed a phenomenon that The Economist has defined as “asymmetric polarization”: by the two major American parties. , one has become extreme enough to adhere at least in part to illiberal and violent ideologies.
Various symptoms of this phenomenon have appeared, in addition to those already mentioned. For example, the fact that the Republican electorate, according to opinion polls, is increasingly inclined to justify political violence. Or even the extraordinary fascination of a section of the Republican Party for the Hungarian regime of Viktor Orban, whose reactionary and illiberal policies are considered by some conservatives as a possible model to follow.
This week Trump issued a statement approving Orban for the upcoming election although voting in Hungary is expected between April and May. Indeed, according to various scholars, American institutions and systems to protect themselves from authoritarianism are still very stable.
However, Trump’s absolute influence on the party continues to be an element of uncertainty. He has not yet announced whether he will run again in the 2024 elections and it is not yet clear what he will do; despite not having fired his team of political advisers and never being stopped from raising funds.
On the other hand, Trump will be 78 years old in 2024. What is certain so far, if he stays again, the Republican Party will accept him again as leader.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have indicated they will not run in the primary if Trump runs. Polls, though very premature, say Trump has a chance to win against Biden in the presidential election.
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