President Trump is committing an unforgivable sin of omission this week.
Trump should be openly, sternly, and vociferously urging all his supporters not to protest or riot at capitol buildings across the nation in the next week, and he should be warning that even the slightest violence will be met with appropriate force, along with arrests and prosecution. Instead, he blathers that his inflammatory rally remarks last week were “totally appropriate,” and he still has said far more to praise his riotous supporters than to denounce them.
Even when on Jan. 12 he offered vague paeans to “peace and calm” and “respect for law enforcement,” Trump spent more time issuing threats of political reprisals to Democrats.
This is appalling. According to the FBI, the U.S. Capitol and all 50 state capitols are at risk from “armed protests” in the next week. Groups are discussing plans to “storm” all the edifices of democracy, and the FBI also is tracking specific threats against President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Especially in the wake of last week’s hideous assault on the U.S. Capitol, these are grave internal threats to our constitutional republic. Moreover, most of the threats come from supporters of the outgoing president — people acting largely in the name of, and taking cues from, Trump himself. Lots of them presumably would stand down if Trump, recognizing the existing tinderbox, forcefully denounced their plans and urged them not even to protest the transition of power next week. Even though he thinks he has been wronged, he should say that the dangers of conflagration next week are too great and that they must channel their support for him into other, more productive, less dangerous channels.
As president, Trump has a sacred duty to put the national good ahead of his own pride or feelings of victimization. His oath of office requires that he maintain the peace through constitutional means. As commander in chief of the armed forces, he is logically and morally bound to live up to the oath every member of the armed forces takes, namely to protect the Constitution and country “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Trump must tell those planning armed, riotous demonstrations to cease their activities. He must protect this nation. He must make clear that arrests for any illegality will be encouraged and that there will be not a shred of legal mercy shown to those who violate the peace. He absolutely must nip potential insurrection in the bud.
Right now, some of the crazies backing Trump are reading between the lines of his inaction. Reports say that for hours last week, as the Capitol was being assaulted, he actively resisted entreaties to call upon protesters to desist, even saying that he “loved” the “very special” protesters. The hotheads in MAGA world still think they have his support. This is especially true because of Trump’s tweet many hours after the horrors were obvious, in which he made excuses for the rioters.
“These are the things and events that happen,” he wrote, “when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long.”
Trump owes it to the country, in word and deed, to undo the damage done on his behalf and to ward off worse damage still.
