Trump incited rioters not only attacked Capitol but the US Constitution

What the pro-Trump rioters attacked was not only a building but also the Constitution, the electoral system, our democratic process

US Capitol Siege
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Pro Trump supporters during the siege if the US Capitol.

Nicholas Kristof | NYT
Wednesday was a horrifying and shameful moment in American history. I’ve covered attempted coups in many countries around the world, and now I’m finally covering one in the United States.

Trump and his enablers talk a good game about patriotism. They denounced President Barack Obama for sometimes not wearing a flag lapel pin. They criticized Colin Kaepernick for protesting police brutality by taking a knee rather than standing during the national anthem — and then Trump incited a mob on Wednesday to invade the United States Capitol. The rioters encountered a minimal police response, not the kind that Black Lives Matter protesters received.

Many of those pro-Trump rioters probably dispute the idea of white privilege. But the fact that they were allowed

First Published: Jan 07 2021 | 06:44 AM IST

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