Many of us who have reported on Trump’s speech on the Elipse and the promise that he would be leading the crowd to the Capitol, always believed that Trump never actually intended to go to the Capitol, but said it to further incite his supporters, believing that their leader was saying, in effect, “follow me.” But there was also the presumption that Trump was far too big a coward to actually go to the Capitol, Trump is no Che Guevera.
According to Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony, Trump did, in fact, plan on going to the Capitol and Mark Meadows favored such a plan. To make matters even worse, Trump and his team did not have any specific goal or plan of action as to what they would do when they got to the Capitol other than “go to the House Chamber” during the electoral vote count.
It was the Secret Service who told Trump that he could not go up to the Capitol and that decision likely saved an unknown number of lives. It was also incredibly brave. Trump declared he was “f**king president, he demanded to go to the Capitol, Trump even grabbed the steering wheel and reached out to confront the Secret Service agent, who then said that they had to return to the West Wing.
Even after Trump was returned to the West Wing, Trump continued to talk to people about going to the Capitol (the violence had to have been getting particularly intense at that point).
Given what we know about the violence that occurred at the Capitol on that day, it is almost impossible to imagine how much worse it would have been having Trump lead the insurrectionists into the Capitol. No life would have mattered if Trump – as the general leading an army – headed into what would have been an actual war for the future of the country.
It is not hyperbole to say that hundreds could have died. It is possible that Mike Pence would not have survived. Certainly, Kevin McCarthy knew how bad things would get as he told Hutchinson to say that he could not come up to the Capitol according to Hutchinson’s testimony.
For those of us who simply presumed Trump was too cowardly to lead such a march, it is a breathtaking moment and revelation. It is also extremely strong evidence of sedition, given the battle that later occurred.
Jason Miciak believes a day without learning is a day not lived. He is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is a Canadian-born dual citizen who spent his teen and college years in the Pacific Northwest and has since lived in seven states. He now enjoys life as a single dad of a young girl, writing from the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He loves crafting his flower pots, cooking, while also studying scientific philosophy, religion, and non-math principles behind quantum mechanics and cosmology. Please feel free to contact for speaking engagements or any concerns.