Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:43 pm
Trump’s comments to Pence on January 5th indicated that he was using the assembling mob to pressure his vice president.
Robert Costa tweeted:
But despite all of these docs and PowerPts, the most revealing thing of this period isn't a document. It's what he says to Pence on Jan. 5.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
At the end of the day, Trump isn't looking to these docs to make his case. He looks to the gathering mob in the streets. (Ch. 43, "Peril")
— Robert Costa (@costareports) December 11, 2021
"If these people say you had the power, wouldn't you want to?" Trump asked.
"I wouldn't want any one person to have that authority," Pence said.
"But wouldn't it almost be cool to have that power?" Trump asked.
"No," Pence said.
/end
— Robert Costa (@costareports) December 11, 2021
Trump Was Planning To Overturn The 2020 Election By Force
One of the elements of January 6th that the House Select Committee is investigating is how the rally, the legal documents, and the attack on the Capitol all fit together, with possibly Trump at the center of a coup plot to overturn the results of an election that was won by Joe Biden.
Trump’s comments to Pence suggest that the assembled mob wasn’t for show. Trump was attempting to intimidate his vice president into not certifying the election for Biden.
As these pieces come together, a picture is emerging of Donald Trump’s willingness to use force to keep himself in power. The former president was trying to grant the coup legitimacy through the will of a mob.
All of the tracks that were taken to overturn the election had the same conductor.
It looks increasingly like Donald Trump masterminded a use of force against the United States government and its people.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
