‘A very nasty system’: Trump confirms January 6th pardon plans upon return to office

Already it’s beginning, and I wish I could say that I was shocked.

During an interview with Meet the Press on Sunday, Donald Trump confirmed, among other heinous things, that he plans to pardon all participants in the insurrection on the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. It’s at the top of his to-do list, Trump says. There are some other pressing matters that should be up there, in my opinion, but hey, this is our reality now.

So when does he plan on this pardon? “First day,” he says. Because, according to him, “They’ve been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.” But don’t worry, there will be some exceptions! He has no plans to pardon anybody who, in his words, “was radical, crazy.” So an insurrection on the Capitol over the results of a fair election isn’t radical or crazy. Got it. That makes complete and perfect sense.

On X (formerly Twitter), user Ben Goggin posted the clip. Predictably, there was outrage over his choice of words. Mateo Kowalsky commented that “He is not part of the VERY CORRUPT system and is also a VERY CORRUPT person.”

Of course, Trump and his MAGA supporters won’t be able to see the hypocrisy in this statement. Trump’s first go as President was steeped in controversy after controversy, and much of it had to do with corruption. And, even more important than that, this proves that all of the worst-case scenarios with another Trump presidency weren’t unfounded.

Given that Trump himself as already been pardoned and his indictment has been dismissed, this feels like a logical next step. A truly horrible, but logical, next step.

What does a pardon mean for what’s to come?

Everybody who has been declared guilty is guilty. That’s it. Overrunning the Capitol because you didn’t like the results of a fair election? That is insanity. That is against the law. Regardly of anybody’s opinion of politics or government, that is still very much illegal. Unfortunately, Trump and his circle of yes-men and -women will overrule what protocol actually should be followed. He has been very open about not accepting the results of the 2020 election and spurring insurrectionists on.

Trump undermining our basic legal processes as a country is a dangerously steep first step towards a potential turning point. It will open the doors to more violence, because it will make these types of people bold. They know their President is behind them. What do they have to lose? At this point, it’s nothing.

Trump is so worried about destroying the lives of the insurrectionists, not the lives of the immigrants he wants to deport, or the birthright citizenships he wants to end. His priorities have always been towards his supporters only. Whether or not he is successful at following through–we all know his history and proclivity to “concepts”–the idea is out there, and the precedent has been set.

I want to try to be positive, but each bit of news makes it more difficult. Not knowing what the landscape will look like after January 20th is excruciating, and all we can do is wait and see.