How President Trump Attempted to Subvert Democracy

This week, a violent mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. The insurrectionists were seeking to overturn the results of the general election during a joint session of Congress as members tallied the Electoral College votes. President Trump has routinely and falsely claimed that the presidential election was rigged and encouraged his supporters to reject the result. As Donald Trump prepares to leave the White House, politicians that will remain in Washington will have to contend with the loyalty he’s fomented among his base and the anger that has been released. Jelani Cobb, staff writer at The New Yorker, and Adam Serwer, staff writer at The Atlantic, describe the consequences of failing to hold President Trump accountable for the violent attempt to subvert democracy. And, Grace Segers, political reporter for CBS News, provides a firsthand account of the attack on Capitol Hill.  

Also, in the midst of the crisis in Washington this week, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock won both Senate runoffs in Georgia. As a result, Democrats will have a slim majority in the House and Senate. Sahil Kapur, national political reporter for NBC News, describes how Democrats were able to run progressive candidates in a swing state and win. 

Finally, President Trump’s norm-defying first term has drawn sharp criticism over the last four years, but the events of the week have drawn almost universal condemnation. Members of his own party have called on President Trump to resign and in less than two weeks, Joe Biden will be sworn in against a backdrop of unprecedented division. To understand how Joe Biden might attempt to navigate this moment in politics Amy Walter spoke with Brendan Buck, Republican strategist at Seven Letter and a former aide to John Boehner and Paul Ryan, and Joel Payne, Democratic strategist, former aide to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, and host of “Here comes the Payne.”