Article Summary –
Former president Donald Trump has put the events of January 6, 2021, at the center of his campaign, framing the violent demonstrators as patriotic and promising to pardon them. President Joe Biden’s team is surprised by how much January 6 is playing a role in the campaign and plans to use footage from the day in their advertising campaigns. However, perceptions of the events of January 6 differ greatly among Trump’s base, with 57% now believing the punishments for those involved are too harsh, up from 45% in the past, and 90% believing Trump holds little or no responsibility for the attack.
Trump Centers His Campaign Around January 6 Incident
Rallies begin with a tune from January 6 detainees singing the national anthem. “Too Big to Rig” signs are distributed to followers. The contender, Donald Trump marks the protestors as “patriots” and “unfairly detained victims.” Trump has profoundly integrated the January 6, 2021, incident into his campaign, warping what happened, all the while fueling denial and conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election.
Trump often downplays the violence, making bold promises of pardons for the instigators. Both he and President Joe Biden agree: the January 6 incident will be a focal point of the 2024 campaign even if Trump’s related trials extend past Election Day.
Biden’s campaign team is surprised by the enduring significance of the event. “We, as a country, reject political violence and embrace democracy and the rule of law,” says Mike Donilon, one of Biden’s key advisors. He believes the public will have difficulty supporting a candidate who pardons those who attacked the Capitol.
Trump’s unwavering focus on January 6 has blindsided Biden’s team who didn’t anticipate the incident to still hold such relevance. While Trump furthers conspiracy theories, mainstream voters are gradually deterred.
To keep an eye on Trump’s rallies, Biden’s re-election team are monitoring Trump’s Truth Social account. “My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!” he posted.
Biden aides have expressed shock that the public continually references January 6. Words like “indelible image” and “scar tissue” are used to express how vivid the memories remain.
Democrats are banking on the images and memories of January 6 to repel anti-Trump Republicans and engage the Democratic base. Biden aides are also confident that the idea of pardoning acts of political violence isn’t popular among voters who are more concerned about issues that affect their daily life rather than the fate of those who invaded the Capitol.
Distaste for Trump’s handling of January 6 is not limited to Biden. In Arizona, Democrats are hoping that Republican candidate Kari Lake’s denial of the 2020 election results and refusal to acknowledge her own gubernatorial race outcome will make her unappealing to voters who almost elected her last time.
Despite the controversy surrounding January 6, some Republicans argue it’s the Democrats keeping the issue alive. “Democrats focus on it because they have nothing else,” says GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, “They have to distract from Biden’s failing presidency.”
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