Trump’s reckless attacks led to this sorry state

Back in 2016, CBS News’s Lesley Stahl asked Trump why he was relentlessly attacking the media and accusing them of being liars and spreaders of fake news. He cynically replied that he wanted to preemptively discredit them in the eyes of his followers so that when they reported anything negative about him, they would not be believed. He steadily ramped up the attacks on the media at every chance he could, even referring to them as enemies of the people and scum. And you have to admit that his strategy worked. His cult following refused to believe anything bad that the media said about him. His enemies became their enemies.

On Wednesday we saw where this could lead when the mob attacked journalists and destroyed their equipment while they were covering the rampage.


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This where Trump’s attacks on the media have led

Early on in his presidency, CBS News’s Lesley Stahl asked Trump why he was relentlessly attacking the media and accusing them of being liars and spreaders of fake news. He cynically replied that he wanted to discredit them in the eyes of his followers so that when they reported anything negative about him, they would not be believed. He steadily ramped up the attacks on the media at every chance he could, even referring to them as enemies of the people and scum.

On Wednesday we saw where this could lead when the mob attacked journalists and destroyed their equipment while they were covering the rampage.
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Some MAGAlanders are angry at Trump’s seeming betrayal

Trump’s short speech where he seemed to suddenly condemn the riots that he himself instigated is believed to be so as to avoid criminal prosecution. But that statement has outraged some of his followers who were absolutely livid at what they saw as a betrayal.

On social media channels and chatrooms like Parler and 4chan, where far-right Trumpists have gravitated as other social media sites have increasingly shut out the president, there were complaints of betrayal.

Trump claimed on Thursday that he was “outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem” of the Capitol siege that he had incited, and said those who “broke the law will pay” – comments that perhaps reflected concern over mounting legal and political hazard rather than a newfound sense of contrition and integrity.

Nevertheless they prompted an outpouring of anger, grief and denial from his hardline acolytes. “A punch in the gut,” said one. “A stab in the back,” another railed. From a third: “I feel like puking.”

A widely shared screengrab summed up the sentiment: “He says it’s going to be wild and when it gets wild he calls it a heinous attack and middle-fingers to his supporters he told to be there.”

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What next for Trump?

The very right wing editorial board of the Wall Street Journal has called on Trump to resign.

If Mr Trump wants to avoid a second impeachment, his best path would be to take personal responsibility and resign. This would be the cleanest solution since it would immediately turn presidential duties over to Mr Pence And it would give Mr Trump agency, a la Richard Nixon, over his own fate.

This might also stem the flood of White House and Cabinet resignations that are understandable as acts of conscience but could leave the government dangerously unmanned. Robert O’Brien, the national security adviser, in particular should stay at his post.

We know an act of grace by Mr. Trump isn’t likely. In any case this week has probably finished him as a serious political figure. He has cost Republicans the House, the White House, and now the Senate. Worse, he has betrayed his loyal supporters by lying to them about the election and the ability of Congress and Mr. Pence to overturn it. He has refused to accept the basic bargain of democracy, which is to accept the result, win or lose.

It is best for everyone, himself included, if he goes away quietly.

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Trump finally acknowledges the reality that he lost

Finally Trump came out of hiding and gave a short speech accepting what he should have done immediately after the election, acknowledging that a new administration would be taking office on January 20th.

America is and must always be a nation of law and order. The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy. To those who engage in the acts of violence and destruction: you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law: you will pay.
…

Now, Congress has certified the results. A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power.

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Must-see videos

Robert Moore of the British ITV News and his cameraperson were embedded with the mob that stormed the Capitol building and captured gripping video of the events and the people who were involved. It was really ugly.

Meanwhile, I received from a friend this clip (made by Donald Trump’s idiot son) of people in the White House actually celebrating as they watched the riot unfold on TV screens.

How it all went down

The Guardian has a detailed breakdown. with maps, photos, and videos of the sequence of events as they unfolded yesterday. They also provide a sequence of the inflammatory rhetoric of Trump and his acolytes leading up to yesterday.

One thing jumped out at me about the crowd: “Members of the crowd, including some wearing body armour and helmets, begin peeling away from the park, walking the kilometre or so down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol.”

This is consistent with other reports that I read that said that some of the people who first breached the capitol building were organized and following a pre-determined plan. This was not entirely a spontaneous riot.

The morning after

After the extraordinary scenes of rioting by a Trump supporting mob that actually invaded the halls of Congress forcing all its members to evacuate until the mob was cleared out and the certification of Joe Biden was allowed to continue, the question is what comes next?

Here is a short video of the invasion


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