America Watches Trump Incite a Coup. But Will It Hurt Him?

There’s no doubt whatsoever that the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection was to be the culmination of a coup never seen before in American history. The public hearings remind us of the horror of that day, the scale of criminal activity, and the psychopathic obstinance of the former president.

A long list of witnesses testified publicly in front of House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the Capitol: former aides to Donald Trump, family members, members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers extremists, the vanguard of the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.

Every witness confirms that the former president not only incited a crowd of fanatical admirers to attack Congress and overturn his election defeat, he conspired with the most devoted praetorians to prevent Joe Biden from taking office. There is no doubt that the Jan. 6 insurrection was to be the culmination of a coup never seen before in American history.

What Did Trump Do? A Shocking TV Spectacle

In fact, we already knew all this, because, over the past 1 1/2 years the media have gradually revealed new facts about what Trump did after he refused to comes to terms with the loss of power. However, in one provocative package, the public hearings that began before the House Committee Thursday evening recalled the terror of those days, the scale of criminal activity, and the psychopathic obstinance of the former president.

We saw the video footage of former Attorney General William Barr’s closed-door hearing in which he testified that he immediately told Trump his claims of election fraud were “bogus” and “idiotic.” In addition, we saw a snapshot of Ivanka Trump’s testimony about how she “accepted” Barr’s position.

Further, we saw former Vice President Mike Pence refusing to block certification of the election results in Congress despite pressure to do so and a crowd that built a gallows and chanted “Hang Pence!” and Trump’s response in a tweet that Pence “deserved it.”

Lastly, we saw witnesses testify to the fact that the defeated president refused to ask his supporters to leave the Capitol. Indeed, Trump remained indifferent to pleas from members of Congress to summon the police and National Guard troops to secure the Capitol.

The hearings, broadcast in prime time on American television were a shocking spectacle. But what practical effect will they have? The organizers of the broadcast, the majority Democrats on the committee and television network executives, seem to hope that the images of the clash at the Capitol and the overwhelming evidence of Trump’s direct responsibility for the rebellion will undermine his credibility and authority in the eyes of millions of his followers and weaken support for the Republican Party. This would matter in advance of congressional midterm elections in November, which are not looking optimistic for the Democratic Party.

Republicans Defend Trump as a Matter of Independence

Unfortunately, all of this seems to me like wishful thinking. The liberal media is trying to portray the hearings as a kind of new Watergate. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, reporters who investigated that scandal, told CNN how the congressional committee hearings in 1973 revealed facts that compromised former President Richard Nixon and subsequently led to his resignation the following year. Trump is no longer at the White House, but he is eager to run for a second term in 2024.

Will the current hearings hurt Trump? Republicans played a key role in the Watergate hearings 49 years ago by turning against their party’s president. There are only two Republican members on the Jan. 6 committee, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who recognize there is irrefutable evidence of Trump’s guilt. Cooperation from other Republicans has turned out to be impossible, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared when she created a select committee to investigate the insurrection.

The overwhelming majority of the Republicans in both houses of Congress are still afraid to expose the former president to voters, and therefore they ignore the truth, are in denial and defend him like they defend independence. The Republican Party is calling the hearings a “witch hunt” and portraying the committee as a one-party clique hungry for political revenge. Fox News did not broadcast the first hearing.

The findings of the Jan. 6 committee which will unfold on television through at least the end of next week, are meant to convince the undecided, but there are few who are undecided. That Trump wanted to stay in power was clear from the beginning. His followers know this. The first hearing on Thursday, a moving spectacle, did not bring any game-changing revelations. As I’ve said, the media, and especially MSNBC and CNN, have covered findings by congressional investigators about the coup for months, which has somewhat dissipated the tension. It is not yet known why the committee made certain findings available to the press other than to boast and did not wait to reveal everything at once to achieve a surprise effect.

Better To Watch a Crime Series

There will be more hearings, more details, and new testimony, but can we expect a bombshell that will make a difference? It’s doubtful. Almost 1 1/2 years have passed since the insurrection. Americans, who do not like to dwell on the past, are worried today about inflation, rising gas prices, shortages of infant formula, rising crime rates and mass shootings. Even the war in Europe concerns them less and less.

Prominent New York Times columnist David Brooks summed it up well when he said that another committee should be formed to explain why tens of millions of people in the U.S. still believe that the 2020 election was rigged and that violence is appropriate to fix it. Wise words, because we can expect another crisis surrounding the 2024 presidential election , one that will make the Jan. 6 crisis seem like a trifle. The Republican Party, which could win Congress next year, and the White House two years later, is slowly shaping into a phalanx of quasi-fascists under Trump and his disciples.

But a TV broadcast of hearings before a committee and in prime time? It’s already hard to imagine. You’re better off watching crime programs and reports about the troubles of the British monarchy.