Trump Says Jan. 6 Was an Insurrection, On Thursday, the Supreme Court delved into arguments regarding the possibility of states disqualifying Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballots if they conclude he violated the 14th Amendment, which prohibits insurrectionists from holding office. Despite concerns, the former president may find some reassurance as the conservative-dominated court appears hesitant to endorse what Chief Justice John Roberts described as a “rather daunting consequence.”
During the proceedings, the justices appeared to show little concern regarding whether Trump could be classified as an insurrectionist, briefly touching on the matter. Trump’s attorney, Jonathan Mitchell, firmly rejected the characterization, asserting that the violent events of January 6, 2021, constituted a riot rather than an insurrection.
“This was a riot,” Mitchell stated. “It was not an insurrection.”
In a recent filing, Trump’s legal team sought to downplay the notion, arguing that the events lacked the organization necessary to be deemed an insurrection against the U.S. government.
Trump, however, holds a contrary view. Following the conclusion of arguments in Washington, D.C., he expressed his disagreement outside Mar-a-Lago, attributing the events to Nancy Pelosi.
“They kept saying about what I said right after the insurrection,” Trump remarked. “I think it was an insurrection caused by Nancy Pelosi.”
Trump’s reasoning here seems to boil down to his belief that “insurrection” is a term Democrats use against him, so he’s turning it around on them.
The notion that former House Speaker Pelosi incited an insurrection on January 6 is utterly nonsensical. There’s absolutely no evidence linking her to the Capitol attack, and it’s frankly absurd to suggest that she would have any motivation to rally a crowd waving Trump flags to disrupt the certification of another Democrat’s election victory.
Pelosi’s office responded to Trump’s claims, stating, “No matter what unfounded allegations Trump makes about the insurrection he incited, multiple independent fact-checkers have confirmed that Speaker Pelosi did not orchestrate her own assassination,” as conveyed by spokesperson Aaron Bennett in a statement to Rolling Stone.
Trump’s persistent attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, culminating in the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, will cast a long shadow over this year’s election. The frontrunner for the Republican nomination faces criminal charges from the Justice Department related to these efforts, as well as charges connected to election interference in Georgia.
Trump sought immunity from prosecution for actions taken while in office, but this claim was rejected by the D.C. Court of Appeals earlier this week. It is anticipated that he will appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.
Republicans in Congress, heavily influenced by Trump’s ongoing efforts to distort the reality surrounding the 2020 election, are actively working to downplay any wrongdoing by the former president. Representatives Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) introduced a resolution on Tuesday asserting that Trump is not an insurrectionist.
The press conference held to announce this move was just as bewildering as Trump’s recent statements. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) criticized the lack of outcry when security measures were implemented after January 6, stating, “When Joe Biden was inaugurated, and this entire Capitol complex was surrounded with 30,000 National Guard troops, none of you stood there and called that an insurrection. Oh no. You all stayed silent.”
It remains uncertain whether voters will accept Trump and his allies’ far-fetched conspiracy theories on the subject, or if there will be any repercussions from the criminal cases against the former president before November. Nevertheless, it appears probable that Trump will remain on every state ballot despite his actions four years ago. “I think it was well received,” Trump remarked about his lawyer Mitchell’s arguments in front of the Supreme Court on Thursday. “I hope it was well received.”