Donald Trump’s Impeachment Legacy: Violent Extremism

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“The Capital Riot revealed a new force in American politics – not only a mix of right-wing organizations, but a mass mass political movement that has violence at its core and also draws strength from places where Trump supporters are in the minority.” He wrote in The Atlantic.

This force shows signs of low support: two weeks ago, Department of Homeland Security Issued a rare terrorism warning Warning that violent extremists were instigated by the attack and “prompted by the president’s transition, as well as other alleged complaints stuck by false narratives.”

There are some indications that such violent acts have support among some Americans, especially within the Republican Party. A survey was done By the American Enterprise Institute This week found that 55 percent of Republicans withdrew use of force as “to prevent the decline of the traditional American way of life”, compared to 35 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats.

In defense of his impeachment, Mr. Trump’s lawyers did not focus on the attackers, but the former president argued that he did not intend to provoke the violent attack. Parts of the rhetoric cited by the House impeachment managers were “selectively edited” and manipulated in the video, he said. The Trump team showed video collections of Democrats using the word “fight” – further torturing an already worn piece of political rhetoric. (Of course, none of those politicians, it is worth noting, were trying to incite a riot.)

And he used Mr. Trump’s comments after the events in Charlottesville, Va., In 2017. To say that “there were very good people on both sides” – to argue that his words have been misunderstood for a long time. Former homeland security officials have cited those comments as a defining moment that embraces extremists.

Many Congressional Republicans are likely to seize on this question of intent. Even when Mr. Trump is out of office, crossing the former president would mean stripping a significant portion of his base. Like Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who promoted Mr. Trump’s baseless claims to sabotage at the Capitol, his mind showed no signs of changing. It is very likely that the final number of Republicans who vote for the trust will be well below the required two-thirds majority.

Eventually, the debate over Mr. Trump’s culpability will be left to the history books. What would remain undisputed, however, was the importance of his words. Extremist violence flourished under his watch. And the overthrow would be a far more difficult national undertaking than some long days in the Senate.