Donald Trump’s rise to power as an elected authoritarian was not preordained or an act of destiny. Since at least 2016, there have been multiple moments when the American people and their institutions and leaders could have made different choices that would have prevented Trump’s rise and return to power. Perhaps the most obvious such moment was Trump’s failed coup attempt on Jan. 6, 2021, and the larger plot against American democracy.
“The walls” never did close in; Trump was in fact above the law (and the Jan. 6 funders and other high-level organizers and agents as well); the right-wing extremists on the Supreme Court made him a de facto king and he will likely never face serious consequences for his coup attempt or other wrongdoing. The far more likely scenario is that Trump will fulfill his threat and promise to use all means available to him to punish those members of law enforcement, the government, the news media, civil society and the public who dared to try to hold him accountable under the law.
Instead of being his downfall, Trump and his propagandists and other MAGA people would create a fiction and alternate reality around the events of Jan. 6 and the Big Lie that reimagined one of the greatest betrayals in American history as being an act of democracy, civic virtue and “love.” To that end, the Jan. 6 convicts have been elevated into political martyrs, heroes and saints by Trump, the MAGA movement and the right-wing disinformation propaganda machine. Trump has promised to pardon the Jan. 6 convicts; in all probability, the Jan. 6 convicts will repay Trump with their absolute loyalty as they take on the role of being his personal enforcers.
On the centrality of Jan. 6 to Trump’s fascist power and MAGA personality cult, historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat explains in her newsletter how:
Jan. 6 radicalized the GOP, accelerating its transformation into an entity dependent on lying, corruption, and the threat and reality of violence against internal enemies. But it is fear, as well as fanaticism, that has kept the GOP disciplined in the years since the insurrection, no one wanting to be a target.
Because Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. election, we did not see the expected waves of political violence “from below” in November. Nor was it necessary to stage some form of replay of the Jan. 6 coup attempt. Instead, we are bracing for the start of institutionalized violence from above. On “Day One,” mass deportations of undocumented people will supposedly start, assisted by the U.S. military –or so the incoming administration hopes.
Authoritarianism is the conversion of the rule of law into rule by the lawless. It makes perfect sense that a convicted felon and the man who sent the violent mob into the Capitol on his behalf would initiate an American autocracy.
Fascists believe you have to destroy to create, and Jan. 6 has already been canonized because of its violence as a foundational moment of the New Era of Trumpism. If authoritarian history is any guideline, Jan. 6 could become a holiday one day.
In an attempt to make better sense of Trump’s surreal second election, how the events of Jan. 6 led to Trump’s return to power and what the American people can do to protect their democracy and society, I recently spoke with Alan Jenkins and Gan Golan. They are the co-writers of “1/6: The Graphic Novel.” (Issue number 3 is available now.)
Alan Jenkins is a Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School where he teaches courses on Race and the Law, Communication, Law, and Social Justice, and Supreme Court Jurisprudence. Before joining the Harvard faculty, he co-founded and led The Opportunity Agenda, a social justice communication lab that harnesses the power of media and popular culture to move hearts, minds and policy.
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Gan Golan is an artist, bestselling author, grassroots activist, organizer and one of the lead designers of The People’s Climate March, which was one of the largest climate mobilizations in history. Golan’s works include the bestselling “Goodnight Bush,” “Goodnight Trump: A Parody,” and the critically acclaimed “The Adventures of Unemployed Man.”
Golan’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, BBC, CNN, MSNBC, The Guardian, and Wired Magazine.
This is the second of a two-part conversation.
Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 coup attempt was one of the most successful such efforts in modern history because there were no real consequences and it was all just a trial run for the future. Trump didn’t need to repeat Jan. 6. He took power at the ballot box.
AJ: It’s important to remember that the insurrection was not just the attack on the Capitol, but also the fake elector scheme in swing states where Joe Biden won, as well as intimidation of election officials and strong-arming Vice President Pence. It was unsuccessful in that it failed to fraudulently re-install Trump in 2021, but it deeply injured our democracy in ways that we’ll be grappling with for decades. And the “Big Lie” that he spread helped to sow the seeds for his victory in 2024.
GG: I think the DNA of the next Trump administration was clearly visible in the January 6 insurrection. The use of violence by his supporters to try and intimidate people, the gross manipulation of the system behind the scenes to take power at any cost, but also the incredible chaos and incompetence. As Hannah Arendt said, “Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.” This administration will likely be unable to deliver on the fundamentals and buyer’s remorse will set in, despite the daily attempt to distract people. It will be bread and circuses, only with no bread.
Trump has promised to free the Jan. 6 MAGA convicts, a group he has elevated as heroes and political prisoners.
AJ: It’s stunning that Trump would consider pardoning Jan. 6 rioters who injured over 100 law enforcement officers, contributed to the deaths of others, called for the murder of Mike Pence and tried to overturn the results of a free and fair election. It’s fully consistent, however, with the Big Lie (that he won the 2020 election), which he continues to perpetuate and with a perspective rooted in loyalty rather than decency or the rule of law.
GG: It sort of feels as if the Joker were releasing all the inmates at Arkham Asylum. In our own comic, we actually have this absurd moment where January 6 is being officially celebrated in DC, all the facts of what happened are covered up, and the violence we all saw MAGA commit is explained away by conspiracy theories. A version of that is now very likely to happen in reality. But the message these pardons will send is clear: If you have wealth and power you are entitled to be above the law and any followers who do your dirty work can act outside the law. It’s basically a green light to engage in criminal behavior at all levels, now sanctioned by the state.
What if Jan. 6 and the obvious crimes of that day had been responded to properly by the Department of Justice and Attorney General Merrick Garland? With the urgency and great importance they merited? The foot soldiers were punished, to varying degrees, but the leadership was not. Moreover, what if the Supreme Court had correctly judged that Trump did in fact engage in an act of insurrection and was disqualified from public office per the Constitution? The law matters — but only to the degree it is enforced properly. Where would we, as a nation, be now?
AJ: We will, of course, never know what would have happened if the FBI and Justice Department had immediately investigated and pursued the political leaders who played crucial roles in the insurrection in the way that they rather quickly pursued the rioters. It certainly seemed prudent to us at the time, which is one of the reasons that we created “1/6: The Graphic Novel.”
GG: There is a real-life counterexample in Brazil. Their very Trump-like far-right president Bolsonaro lost an election and his followers attacked their Capitol building, imitating what they saw in the US. In contrast to the US, those involved were arrested on the same day. Bolsonaro was then banned from ever running for President again. The penalty for explicitly trying to use violence to undermine democracy was that you don’t get to run for office again to give you another chance.
You could not make up the things that have happened in the Age of Trump and have any reputable publisher or studio buy it. Yet, we are living it. How are you making sense of this surreality?
AJ: When we began writing “1/6: The Graphic Novel,” it felt like science fiction. Now, it feels like a prediction. So much of what we depicted in our fictional story is now being planned or threatened by the incoming President of the United States.
Fortunately, our story is also one of hope, resistance and reconstruction. We are gratified that readers are finding our graphic novel poignant and entertaining, but it is also a roadmap on how everyday people can work to restore and improve our democracy. For those who want to get more deeply involved, we created a free Education and Action Guide with Western States Center that includes tips on addressing authoritarianism, disinformation and bigotry at the community level.
GG: It certainly seems surreal, but moments like this have happened before. Not only is our fictional story full of heroes — everyday people who find solidarity and hope in dark times — but real history is full of them, too. Our ancestors and predecessors saw and endured incredible hardships and yet ushered in new eras of progress amidst the worst conditions. As Rep. Keith Ellison said during a webinar we hosted: “Do you think it wasn’t harder during MLK’s time?” Right now, we should find hope in the fact that there are millions of people who feel exactly like we do. Many of us will step up to protect the communities most in harm’s way and be ready to mobilize to make forward progress as the opportunities arise, which they will.
What do you want to prepare the American people for in these upcoming weeks and then years of Trump’s rule and his MAGA successors? How do you explain the denial from the mainstream news media and political class about how Jan. 6 never ended and Trump and the other enemies of democracy were serious and a great danger? As a group, the mainstream news media, especially the centrists, mostly normalized this disaster.
AJ: Our series is a historical marker, a cautionary tale and a call to action. In writing it, we’ve spoken with individuals across the country and globe who’ve been part of successful people’s movements for democracy and justice. They managed to prevail through creative strategy and collective action rooted in shared values. We can do the same.
GG: There’s been a stunning amount of denial by the mainstream news and establishment, a kind of “it can’t happen here” American Exceptionalism that has left us unprepared every step of the way. But this is deeper than one election. The pillars of American democracy have not just been under attack for the last four years, but for at least the last four decades and the present moment is a culmination of those strategies.
Politically, the “Southern strategy” mobilized racism to lock in white support for undemocratic policies. Economically, we saw Reaganomics and neoliberalism concentrate extreme wealth into corporate hands. Legally, Citizens United translated that money into political power. The last line of defense was the media, but corporate media and social media found tools to bypass fact-checking and truth-telling, a bedrock of democracy. Next, we are likely to see targeting of the education system and civil society institutions like non-profits. It’s dire.
So, where’s the opportunity?
We need to be making the argument that democracy isn’t just valuable for its own sake. Democracy is what can best ensure greater rights and dignity for everyone, create a more prosperous and equitable society that gives everyone greater opportunities and keep our institutions from only serving the interests of a wealthy few at the expense of the many. Finally, it gives the space for everyday people to have a voice in pushing for a better future, like a safe climate to protect our children. The reality is that our democracy had become so compromised it was unable to function properly. We now have a chance to re-affirm what democracy should be and fight for it.
Dr. King’s remembrance day is the same day as Trump’s second inauguration. Why is the nation’s trajectory and the timing of these events so cruel? Dr. King must be rolling over in his grave.
AJ: Dr. King predicted that if America did not address the cancer of bigotry, it would metastasize and bring down the nation. “If America does not respond creatively to the challenge to banish racism,” he said, “some future historian will have to say that a great civilization died because it lacked the soul and commitment to make justice a reality for all men.” With the caveat that we would today say “all people,” I think Dr. King was, once again, spot on. But it’s also important to remember that “America” is all of us, not just a politician or a party or regime. We have the power to build a just nation, despite the man who leads it. And we must start now.
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