After a group of extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, then-President Donald Trump had a simple message for them: “Go home. We love you. You’re very special.”
Trump made a lot of false claims during his presidency — The Washington Post tallied more than 30,000 at one point — but this was one time he was telling the truth. He really does love this group of violent insurrectionists.
That love is carrying over to his presidential campaign, where he has made the attack on the Capitol a cornerstone of his arguments for a second term and, in the process, undermined every claim he ever made to supporting American democracy, law enforcement and even the national anthem.
Early in the rally, an announcer asked the audience to “please rise” for the “horribly and unfairly treated Jan. 6 hostages.”
Consider a recent rally in Ohio, typical of his campaign stops. Early in the rally, an announcer asked the audience to “please rise” for the “horribly and unfairly treated Jan. 6 hostages.” Trump then saluted as the so-called J6 Prison Choir’s recording of the national anthem was played to an adoring crowd of Trump faithful.
It’s a scene worth unpacking. Let’s begin with what respecting the national anthem supposedly means to Trump.
You may recall that when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began taking a knee during the national anthem to protest systemic racism, Trump found it an intolerable display, calling on NFL owners to “get that son of a b—- off the field” if any of their players knelt. When Vice President Mike Pence walked out of an NFL game in 2017 over players kneeling, Trump praised him.
Now, Trump’s rallies feature a version of the anthem performed by those who attempted to kneecap the very democracy that it celebrates. And it’s not just Trump. The entire MAGA movement is saluting the song. According to Forbes, the J6 Choir’s “Justice for All” — its official title — was downloaded more than 30,000…
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