Remember the Republicans who stood by Trump as the Capitol was mobbed

Remember, too, the ones who are trying to rewrite history. As the resignations pour in, note that it only took a violent attempted coup in which four people died for these people to see the light

Supporters of Donald Trump briefly took hold of the US Capitol on Wednesday as Congress was certifying Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. (Getty Images)

The images were stunning. The losing president delivered a dystopian speech filled with lies and ordered his supporters to head to the Capitol building. Lawmakers were evacuated as the insurrectionists easily pushed through Capitol police forces and desecrated the building. President Trump posted a video where he continued to spew election lies, appearing almost giddy about the day's events. By nightfall, a fire engulfed the Capitol steps and Trump flags hung from its ledges after a day of deadly clashes.

As surreal as it is to write those words, the Trump presidency was always going to end like this. If you throw gasoline on a fire, it's destined to rage. And those who threw that gasoline can't suddenly pretend to be firefighters.

At his inauguration, Trump warned of American carnage. During the 2020 campaign, he spoke of “mob rule,” anarchy, and terrorism if Joe Biden won the election. Trump's most consistent warning was that the left would try and implement an authoritarian form of government. After Biden won, it became even more clear that those warnings were promises. Promises made, promises kept. What we witnessed this week will define Trump's legacy and whether they like it or not, it will define the legacy of the modern Republican Party.

It's not hyperbole to call yesterday's insurrection an act of terrorism, as many political leaders and usually restrained media figures like NBC's Chuck Todd did. The condemnation was nearly universal. But even while Republican lawmakers sought to push back on the violence itself and some reversed their electoral objections, 147 Republicans still objected to Biden electors, including seven Senators and over 60 percent of House Republicans. Even though the effort failed, it symbolized their culpability in this. Their words were empty, akin to Frankenstein condemning his own monster.

Since the Southern Strategy began in the 1960s, the Republican Party has been feeding their base a steady diet of scapegoating lies. At first, the lies were subtle. Then, as right-wing media ramped up after the Fairness Doctrine repeal, the lies morphed into overt coordinated disinformation, deeply polarizing Americans. This escalated dramatically during the Obama years and only picked up speed during Trump's presidency. This is the culmination of the decades-long radicalization of the GOP base, and frankly, what remains of the confederacy.

The base was always there: Trump just took advantage of them. Now, the party is splintering before our eyes, creating new factions that either embrace or oppose what their own actions have sowed.

First, we have the fleeing sycophants. Vice President Mike Pence certified Biden's win. Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered a searing speech blasting Trump and his own caucus's effort to overturn the results of the election. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) declared "Enough is enough".

Resignations have begun to flow from within the Trump administration, including from Mick Mulvaney and Stephanie Grisham. Former Attorney General Bill Barr condemned Trump. Some Cabinet officials and some Republicans are reportedly considering invoking the 25th Amendment. It only took an attempted coup that endangered their own lives for them to come around.

Then, we have the loyalists. As Trump insurrectionists violently sought to storm the Capitol building outside, Republicans were still inside delivering speeches seeking to prevent the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win to rounds of applause from their caucus. When Congress was reconvened, many continued that approach. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) still objected to Pennsylvania's results. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) stood on the House floor and spread election lies. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) falsely claimed the insurrectionists were actually Antifa members.

Further reflecting this divide was a YouGov poll that found 45 percent of Republicans supported the storming of the Capitol building and 43 percent opposed it. But no matter what stances the Republican Party takes now, they're totally responsible for what they've unleashed. It was Republicans who created Trump's base in the first place. It was Republicans who allowed Trump to cross increasingly corrupt lines without accountability. It was Republicans who backed Trump's lies that the election was stolen. It was Republicans who turned what is usually a ceremonial electoral certification process into an authoritarian sham.

When President Trump said that his base would still support him if he shot someone on 5th Avenue, I think he was understating it. Launching a Capitol Hill insurrection is many degrees worse than that and here we are, with a sizeable percentage of the Republican Party still behind him. But four years is a long time, and we're already seeing major cracks. The 2024 primary field will be a battle for the soul of the party.

President Trump used to recite a poem at his rallies called ‘The Snake’. His favorite, oft-repeated line was: "You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in." Republicans know damn well who he was. White House staffers know who he was. Republican voters who excused his behavior knew who he was. What we can't do is allow those who finally see that it's in their best interest to do the right thing and reject Trump get away with rewriting history and pretending they aren't responsible for this depravity.

Trump was an incumbent president who lost Republicans the House, the Senate, and the White House under his watch. Like Andrew Johnson before him, he will be remembered as a one-term, impeached president disgraced in history for trying to keep a racist, authoritarian, lost cause alive. 

In 2016, Lindsey Graham famously tweeted: “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed….and we will deserve it.” He was right. The GOP is destroyed, and they deserve it. Let's hope they didn't destroy too much of the country beyond repair in their power-hungry, self-sabotaging, descent into madness.