Why do they come here?

That morning was like almost any other morning.

Sure. After four years of Trump, there was a new Congress. And a new president was on the way. These felt new and good. Very good.

But I also knew Trump was holding a big rally near the White House that day. It was going to be tense.

Even that felt normal. It was Trump being Trump. One last rant before he receded into the background.

The normalcy should have been an indication of how bad things had become.

That morning, I finished off a podcast interview around 10 am. Turned to the planning we were doing for the incoming Biden administration. Pulled up CNN on one of my computer screens.

Around noon, Trump began his speech. The first hour and ten minutes was littered with claims about election fraud, urging congressional Republicans and Vice-President Pence to do “the right thing,” because, then, “we win the election.”

…

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