Mariella Gattini

The assault perpetrated by Trump’s followers on Capitol Hill on January 6th, 2021, instigated by Trump and Giuliani, is another attempt to orchestrate a coup d’état. A coup d’état is the French definition for “a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics especially: the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group.” (Merriam-Webster).

I know something about coups, since I suffered one when I was a child, and I had to live with our liberties curtailed through the following seventeen years. Seventeen years is a big chunk of someone’s life. By curtailing your liberties as a citizen, a coup seeks to take control of your life and of your thoughts. That’s what Trump and his minions are trying to do by invalidating our democratic processes and institutions.

According to the still-in-office Vice President, Mike Pence, selected by the very same Trump, Joe Biden obtained 306 of the electoral votes, while Trump won only 232.

Trump does not like the results, therefore, he unilaterally decided that the election must be “rigged” since he didn’t win. Among other despicable things, he has also decided that any news, that is not in his favor, is “fake news”.

From my point of view, what happened at the Capitol on January 6th does not represent the majority in this country. It’s true that millions of people voted for Trump, but it’s also true that Joe Biden won the popular vote with a margin of 7 million votes, and the Electoral College by 74 votes.

On the other hand, all those who voted for Trump didn’t really vote for him, they voted for the candidate representing their party. In this country, the vast majority is not very well-versed in politics, therefore, their loyalty to a party is very similar to their loyalty to a football team.

By putting our voting system into doubt, Trump has declared himself not the President of the United States but the representative of his most extremist followers, who are as unhinged as he is.

For people around the world looking in, I can assure you that this country is far more than what Trump wants you to think. This country is not his property, this land is the country of the American people, citizens of the United States. Therefore, he can not do what he pleases with it. And the vast majority of us would never, NEVER, desecrate our political institutions. Not morally, and certainly not physically.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, has publicly asked the Vice President and Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment, which is only applicable when the President of the United States is unfit for his role as president (generally for medical reasons) to put him out of office. She said that if that does not happen she will call for the impeachment of Trump for the second time. This impeachment is important because it could prevent him from seeking any political office in the future. And it does not need to be resolved before he leaves office this January 20th. It could be resolved after the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden, when Democrats will have the majority in Congress.

According to different reputable news sources, people close to Trump have said that he is obsessed with his loss. He hasn’t done anything about the pandemic that is running havoc around the country, or about the vaccines, and even less about the economy that is devastating the unemployed.

I’ve heard people around me say that they are looking forward to the day when politics become boring again. I have news for you—that’s the root of the problem. People with that kind of mentality think that voting for someone is like hiring them to do their job as citizens—big mistake. Our job as citizens in this country is to be vigilant, take responsibility for our own behavior, and look for accountability in politicians’ actions. Any kind of violence, or criminal act, and the mere incitement to commit those acts are definitely out of our job description as citizens, and not protected by the First Amendment.

The idiocracy displayed in all its splendor the past January 6th, 2021 at the Capitol instigated by this KKKlown-in-Chief is the pathetic attempt of a forever loser wanting to disrupt our democratic process. A loser incapable of accepting the fact that he has been rejected by a majority in a fair election. Deep down, I’m sure he knows what a deplorable excuse for a human being he is. Two of his followers, both women, were killed in this riot at the Capitol. Do you think he cares? Think again.

Lies spread faster than the truth because the truth forces them to confront themselves and see how small they are. Lies, on the other hand, give them the comfort of never confronting the harsh reality of their small lives.

Trump’s followers, especially those who stormed the Capitol, are learning the hard way that they bet on the wrong horse, that this is not a simple case of horse play or locker-room talk. This is about putting their lives in the hands of an unscrupulous small man, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He would not hesitate, not even for a second, to throw his own followers under the bus.

Instead of facing the truth, Trump’s followers prefer to find solace in lying and blaming others for their own violence and for their own attempt to overthrow an election that followed all the democratic procedures, including the numerous recounts in every state in question. They are hiding from the truth, because the truth bites, and bites hard.

It is our responsibility as citizens to face the truth of our lives, of our government, and of our republic in vie of a more perfect democracy. And for that we have to open our eyes and see that going to vote definitely counts, but it is only the first step. We have to get involved in our political process and be constantly alert to be able to eradicate the lies that are inevitable, because it is the source of comfort for so many unable and unwilling to face the truth.