Capitol Attack Hearings: How Trump Clinged to Power

The hearings on the storming of the Capitol showed that ex-US President Trump deliberately accepted violence in order to stay in power. An overview of the findings of the committee of inquiry as of January 6, 2021.

Trump “poured fuel on the fire” when he stormed the Capitol

Those were the words of the two witnesses, who cannot be said to be “Never Trumpers” – that’s what notorious Trump haters are called in the USA: Matthew Pottinger was Trump’s deputy security adviser for four years, Sarah Matthews was deputy government spokeswoman. Both Republicans, both proud of the achievements of the Trump years. And yet, on January 6, both threw in the towel, horrified that the outgoing president was inciting the Capitol mob with a tweet against Vice President Mike Pence, rather than de-escalating.

The Capitol Storm was part of a larger campaign

So far unknown was the recording of a video message that was made the day after the storming of the Capitol. Trump first reads the sentence “this election is now over” from the teleprompter, which his speechwriters had pre-formulated for him. Then he stops the recording angrily and snarls that he will by no means call the election over. To this day he has not admitted defeat and has spread the unsubstantiated claim that in fact he won “a landslide”. A clear majority of his party friends see it that way, despite the lack of evidence.

Trump loyalists can fall out of favor at any time

It’s strategy for the committee to keep coming back to ex-Vice President Mike Pence’s role. On January 6, Pence did his constitutional duty and certified the election results in Congress. Trump maintains to this day that Pence could have turned the election in his favor. On Jan. 6, he tweeted that his loyal companion was a coward, prompting Trump supporters at the Capitol to “Untie Mike Pence!” chanted. The Democrats on the committee hope the rift between the two companions could drive a wedge between the Republicans. In fact, Pence is seriously considering running in the 2024 presidential election – throwing down the gauntlet to his ex-boss.

Trump’s Pence tweet during the Capitol storm

“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!”

The effect on public opinion is likely to remain small

The division in the USA is also reflected in the reaction to the committee’s work: while democratic voters feel vindicated by the committee’s findings, the Republicans have moved closer together in a defensive reflex. They insinuate that Biden’s party wants to work through its Trump obsession once again and stage a kind of third impeachment trial. In addition, the failure of the Biden government should be distracted. In polls, a majority of Americans call for politicians to focus on the burning problems of the present, especially the fight against inflation, rather than obsessively harping on the past.

The last word has not yet been spoken

The committee will continue its work after the summer break in September – at least until November, when the midterms will take place held, parliamentary elections, but also gubernatorial elections in many states. A Republican triumph is currently emerging due to the great dissatisfaction with the Biden government. The Democrats will hardly be able to avert that, but with their revelations on January 6th they hope to be able to avert Trump’s renewed presidential candidacy in 2024 by making him unelectable for the moderate swing voters in the center. There are also signs that Republican voters would prefer Trumpism without Trump. Like the committee, they accuse the president-elect of having lost sight of the present because of his focus on the past.