The foundation of our country is our Constitution.
Embedded in that document is the oath that every President must take:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.“
Donald Trump took that oath, but did not accept the results of his failed re-election effort in 2020. Instead he rejected sound information and advice from his administration, tried to convince election officials in various states to break the law, and finally invited his supporters to Washington to disrupt the final electoral vote count on January 6 which resulted in the attack on the Capitol. (That’s the short version. You want the details, read all about the Attempts [by Trump and his allies] to Overturn the 2020 United States Presidential Election in Wikipedia.)
Do not vote for the oath-breaker!
In thinking about this post, I watched the below video – a timeline of what took place at the Capitol (and White House) on January 6. Honestly, I found it hard to watch, but I persisted through all 40 minutes. Perhaps you have seen it before, or the brief clips used in the Jan 6 Committee hearings. As we find ourselves in another Presidential election with Trump as one of the two main choices, I think watching this New York Times documentary timeline of events, is valuable time spent. (Click below: “Watch on YouTube.”)
Resources:
- Complete description of all attempts to overthrow the 2020 election by Trump and his allies (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempts_to_overturn_the_2020_United_States_presidential_election
- Trump’s tweet calling for “wild” rally on Jan 6 show’s Trump’s participation on promoting the attack (CBS, Jan6 Committee, 7/12/22): https://youtu.be/FWZR91xBfM4?feature=shared
- What Trump and his close associates did during December 2020 and January 2021 to try to “steal the election” from Biden (CNN, 9/12/21): https://youtu.be/mawvx3Daad8?feature=shared
- Meanwhile Trump was being told repeatedly by advisors that there was no evidence to claim that the election process was filled with fraud (PBS-Jan6 hearing, 6/9/2022): https://youtu.be/FMXMaHtr218?feature=shared
- Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021 (NY TImes Video Timeline, 6/30/2021): https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007606996/capitol-riot-trump-supporters.html 46 minutes
- Even now, Trump claims “he had a right to interfere in the 2020 election” (CBNS, 9/3/2024): https://youtu.be/RBT52bpoyfM?feature=shared&t=145 And commentary on that statement (Brian Tyler Cohen, 9/3/2024): https://youtu.be/s_NXqhQFZNA?feature=shared
- Campaigning in Milwaukee, Harris says Trump has “called for the termination of the Constitution (KBAK-KBFX, 8/20/2024): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FQpElF1T1qE
