Those of us who imagined that our country’s political bustle will come to an end on Election Day couldn’t be more wrong. As it turns out, November 3rd was only the beginning of one of the most series of political protests, declarations and decisions in our history.
During the Capitol Hill riot which took place last week, security teams seem to have been unprepared to say the least.
Of course, there’s recorded footage like this one shockingly revealing how the police allowed rioters to enter the Capitol Hill by pushing fences away; then, there’s also the police’s refusal to receive help from the FBI twice when they offered it.
If you want to read a full timeline of the Capitol Hill riot, you can read it right here.
So as we’re still trying to recover mentally and emotionally from this shockingly violent protest, the FBI is warning of future plans for nationwide ‘armed protests’ planned between January 17th to Jan 20th. They also report that online chatter about further protests is at an unprecedented level.
Trump supporters will strike again
According to a recent FBI bulletin, Trump supporters are preparing for yet another round of protests – this time, located in all the 50 state capitols. Two law enforcement officials have read the bulletin for The Associated Press as following:
“Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the U.S. Capitol from 17 January through 20 January.”
Although the two officials have remained anonymous, their declaration circled the globe instantly, fueling fear among our country’s citizens once again.
In a separate statement, the FBI went against its standard practice and expressed its support for local and federal law enforcement publicly, should they need it during the following days. Officials added that they’re focusing on protesters who seem violent or who are still threatening to attack state capitols.
And there are plenty of threats.
More threats than ever
A senior administration official recently declared for the CNN that security teams are intensifying their rehearsals in case of a national emergency which might happen on Inauguration Day. More precisely, the official said, the teams are focusing their efforts on the possibility that someone ‘tries to disrupt or stop the inauguration.’
In fact, the Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser himself recommended Americans to avoid the city by all means on Inauguration Day due to the potentially violent consequences. Instead, he urged Americans to stay at home and watch the event virtually as it will be livestreamed.
During a press conference on Monday, Bowser also added that she’s now ‘scared for our democracy’ due to such a large number of extremists who seem to have no limits. Her prediction?
‘Trumpism won’t die on January 20.’
DHS Secretary resigned
If security teams weren’t on the edge enough, the preparations for Inauguration Day and other expected protests have been delayed even more due to DHS Secretary Chad Wolf’s unexpected resignation.
During one of his last declarations, Wolf confirmed that he had laid down the plans for the National Special Security Event operations to start operating on January 13th instead of January 19th, as it had usually been happening.
Wolf seems to be well aware that the Capitol Hill riot altered people’s trust in security teams, which makes many of us fear for what could happen on Inauguration Day. However, during a conference on Monday, he mentioned that the planners are going to take everything ‘much more seriously.’
And we surely hope they will. Although some of the most violent Capitol Hill rioters have been arrested, many Trump extremist groups are still planning further armed protests across the country. Let’s not forget what these people are capable of:
Trump supporters, confused
Although Trump still has millions of supporters in our country, some of them aren’t as convinced about their cause as they were on January 6th.
Why? Well, because apparently they truly believe that they would storm into Capitol Hill, threaten the Congress to overturn the election results and have Trump remain at the White House for four more years.
Seems plausible, right?
Now that their grand plan failed, some supporters aren’t sure what to do next. Meanwhile, others are even more enraged and ready to fight a losing battle against the legal system of their own country.
Our nation is renowned for its patriotism and we definitely seem to have that urge to protect our country right now. However, the exposure to social media, the radicalization of the political spectrum and perhaps even our educational system have led to a divided nation.
This is our reality in 2021: attacking our own people with pitchforks in broad daylight and vandalizing the House of the People for the first time in history. Just watch:
Trump’s latest statements
Shortly after the Capitol Hill riot, Donald Trump’s Twitter account has been permanently banned and his Facebook and Instagram account received major restrictions. All these restrictions have been imposed due to, and I quote, ‘the risk of further incitement of violence.’
Simply said, Donald Trump has been posting plenty of tweets inciting his followers to protest and even fight. In one of the most shocking tweets published weeks before the Capitol Hill riot, he wrote:
“Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”
Now that his virtual voice is restricted to short, pre-recorded declarations, Trump seems to have chosen his words carefully (if they were his own words at all).
His latest declaration has been published shortly after being impeached for the second time. You can listen to it below:
During the five-minute speech, Trump is basically asking his supporters to do the exact opposite of what he’s been insisting on for the past few months: stay calm, avoid violence and accept Biden’s inauguration as the next U.S. President.
His choice of words, the way he now condemns the very people he asked to storm into the Capitol Hill just a few hours before the joint session of Congress, the fact that he’s barely even looking into the camera are just further evidence of his deceiving behavior.
After watching this video, I can’t help but wonder how can Trump supporters be sure of anything now that their long-loved leader is turning his back against them as he desperately seeks a way out of the trials and debts awaiting.
