In Trump's pardons for January 6 rioters, a tale of two realities

President Donald Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon to almost all those convicted of participating in the attack on the US Capitol, instructed the Department of Justice to drop cases against others who stand accused, and commuted the sentences of those convicted of more serious offenses in an audacious attempt to rewrite recent history.

- Prashant Jha

fronted with a challenge. "Never fold. If you fold, it causes you much more trouble than it is worth...if people know you are a folder, if people know you are going to be weak, they are going to go after you."

Trump used that to not just "fold" after the 2020 results, but did not "fold" even after the January 6 attacks. He distanced himself from the violent attack initially and rejected any accusations that his actions had created the conditions for the mob attack. His supporters spread conspiracy theories on how it was government agents and the far-Left that had infiltrated peaceful protests and led the attacks to discredit Trump. One by one, Republican leaders started walking back on their fierce condemnation of Trump and began visiting him at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump continued to insist that the elections were fraudulent, and an entry ticket to Trump's court hinged on whether one not just reinforced the former president's beliefs but also came up with more theories on how he was right, and could be proven right, as recounted in journalist Meridith McGraw's book, Trump in Exile.