Trump’s Actions “Ultimately Resulted in the Attack on the Capitol,” Says Extremism Expert in Colorado 14th Amendment Case

Amy LewisNov 6, 2023

Minute Read

An extremism expert has labeled Donald Trump an insurrectionist in court.

The 14th Amendment

In Colorado, a lawsuit has been brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) with the aim of barring Trump from the presidential ballot using Section Three of the 14th Amendment, which bans anyone who took an oath of office before taking part in an insurrection – or aiding insurrections – from holding office.

Far-Right Political Extremism

The trial began recently and an expert in extremism has testified. Pete Simi is a sociologist at Chapman University with more than 20 years of experience researching far-right political extremism.

Far-Right Communication Styles

Simi interviewed hundreds of members of extremist groups in an attempt to understand the nuances of their conversation styles. “It would have a certain meaning to outsiders but insiders would understand and interpret that word differently,” he said.

Trump’s Violent Rhetoric

In court, Simi said that Trump oversaw an effort to encourage violence and extremist organizations. He claimed that this “ultimately resulted in the attack on the Capitol” before going on to discuss additional examples of the former president’s violent rhetoric.

Wild Will Be Wild

Simi pointed to a social media post from before the insurrection in which Trump said, “Wild will be wild.” He also recalled his controversial “very fine people” comment following the tragic Charlottesville rally.

Speaking the Far-Right Language

The extremism expert said: “Far-right extremists were galvanized by his candidacy, starting in 2015, and a relationship emerged between Donald Trump and far-right extremists, with far-right extremists seeing him as speaking their language and addressing many of their key grievances.”

Fight Like Hell

Editorial credit: mark reinstein / Shutterstock.

Clips of the former president’s Jan 6th speech were shown in court. He told his supporters to march to the Capitol and to “fight like hell” to “save” the United States. Trump is neither testifying nor personally participating in the suit in any way.

The Internet’s Response

News of Simi’s testimony was shared across the internet and, for the most part, people agreed and said Trump was very clearly to blame for the events of Jan 6th. People pointed to various pieces of evidence and discussed a potential future in which the criminal defendant is barred from the presidency.

The Most Damning Evidence

One social media commenter said: “As far as I care, the most damning piece of evidence against Trump on Jan 6th is that he did nothing to stop it. He wants you to believe that he’s ignorant [and] had no power that day, had no clue what was going on, and generally was just an incompetent buffoon after sending people along to the Capitol from his rousing speech.”

A Dangerous Person

The commenter continued: “The only viable alternative is that he waited to see if it would succeed before doing anything about it and only told people to go home once it failed. Either option makes him a dangerous [person] who shouldn’t be near the White House.”

Trump Didn’t Lift a Finger

Editorial credit: Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.

Echoing the aforementioned commenter, another person said: “For literal hours, he knew this was happening and didn’t lift a finger to stop it even though there were government employees in serious danger, including the vice president!”

Just Another Dude

The commenter continued: “If Donny had wanted to prove beyond any doubt that he wasn’t part of the conspiracy, he would have immediately sent in literally everyone he had the authority to send in to put a stop to the violence by any means necessary. Instead, he sat and watched it on TV like he was just another dude at home.”

Ready To Take Hostages

Another person wrote: “People who dispute any of this need to explain how so many people showed up in the same place at the same time, many dressed and equipped to breach the Capitol and apparently take hostages.”

Premeditated and Coordinated

One person pointed to other indicators of Trump’s guilt: “Two things tell even the most casual observer that this was premeditated and coordinated. Trump’s ‘stand back and stand by’ and Lauren Boebert’s play-by-play giving Nancy Pelosi’s location. Those facts alone are enough to convict all of them and it’s unfortunate no one has had the courage to do it yet.”

There’s a Price

Others were confused: “I really want to understand why his cult can’t see what the entire world sees. How can they believe that every single news agency in the world is wrong and only the one they see is correct? Or do they see him for who he is but will stand by him because he gave them their supreme justice? Because usually when bad people give you what you want, there’s a price. Common sense. I don’t get it.”

An International Opinion

International commenters gave their views too. One said: “[The Jan 6th attack] was so obviously brewing that I, a foreigner, knew to tune in that day for the first and only time I’ve ever watched the electoral college vote. I literally woke up and tuned in before Trump showed up. The guy was basically begging people to show up and tune in on the lead-up.”

An Objection in Congress

Others discussed potential future scenarios: “So what happens if Trump wins the election but an objection is raised in Congress due to the 14th Amendment? There’s no way two-thirds of both houses would vote to remove that disability. Even if the SCOTUS ruled Trump was eligible, there is an argument that Congress is the ultimate arbitrator of this question. Would the VP from the Trump slate assume the presidency?”

Trump Is a Criminal

Another commenter wrote: “Trump is a criminal. His organization is criminal. His account is a convicted criminal behind bars. The 14th Amendment was written to protect us from this. How can anyone expect our government to use it when one of the parties is one of the offenders?”