A majority of Americans believe the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot was an “assault on democracy that must not be forgotten,” as per a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released this week. The poll was conducted Dec. 14-18 and included 1,024 respondents. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
The poll indicates that 55 percent believe the riot was a stark assault on democratic principles, while 43 percent said “too much is being made” of the riot and that it is “time to move on.”
The ramifications of the riot have permeated political discourse and action, as seen in the bold move by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D), who decided to remove former President Trump from the state’s ballot, citing the 14th Amendment. Bellows said she had concluded the former president “over several months and culminating on January 6, 2021, used a false narrative of election fraud to inflame his supporters and direct them to the Capitol to prevent certification of the 2020 election and the peaceful transfer of power.”
“Mr. Trump’s occasional requests that rioters be peaceful and support law enforcement do not immunize his actions,” Bellows said explaining her decision. “A brief call to obey the law does not erase conduct over months, culminating in his speech on the Ellipse. The weight of the evidence makes clear that Mr. Trump was aware of the tinder laid by his multi-month effort to delegitimize a democratic election, and then chose to light a match.” Maine followed in the footsteps of Colorado, which also removed Trump from the ballot under similar reasoning.
Trump and his campaign have vehemently opposed these decisions, with spokesperson Steven Cheung labeling Bellows a “virulent leftist and a hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat” and framing these actions as “a hostile assault on American democracy.”
Partisan lines shape these views, with Democrats leaning towards the perspective that the indictments uphold the law, while Republicans, especially those identifying with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, view them as personal attacks and attempts to thwart Trump’s 2024 campaign. Most independents align with the sentiment that any effort to overturn an election is a threat to democracy.
Furthermore, a report by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) highlights the heightened tensions surrounding the prospect of political violence in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. Approximately 23% of Americans believe that “true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save our country,” marking a distressing uptick from 15% in 2021.
Despite differing opinions on the necessity of political violence, there’s a consensus on the importance of comprehensive historical education. The PRRI survey found that 94% of Americans agree on teaching both the positive and negative aspects of history to children.
The poll indicates that 55 percent believe the riot was a stark assault on democratic principles, while 43 percent said “too much is being made” of the riot and that it is “time to move on.”
The ramifications of the riot have permeated political discourse and action, as seen in the bold move by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D), who decided to remove former President Trump from the state’s ballot, citing the 14th Amendment. Bellows said she had concluded the former president “over several months and culminating on January 6, 2021, used a false narrative of election fraud to inflame his supporters and direct them to the Capitol to prevent certification of the 2020 election and the peaceful transfer of power.”
“Mr. Trump’s occasional requests that rioters be peaceful and support law enforcement do not immunize his actions,” Bellows said explaining her decision. “A brief call to obey the law does not erase conduct over months, culminating in his speech on the Ellipse. The weight of the evidence makes clear that Mr. Trump was aware of the tinder laid by his multi-month effort to delegitimize a democratic election, and then chose to light a match.” Maine followed in the footsteps of Colorado, which also removed Trump from the ballot under similar reasoning.
Trump and his campaign have vehemently opposed these decisions, with spokesperson Steven Cheung labeling Bellows a “virulent leftist and a hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat” and framing these actions as “a hostile assault on American democracy.”
Partisan lines shape these views, with Democrats leaning towards the perspective that the indictments uphold the law, while Republicans, especially those identifying with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, view them as personal attacks and attempts to thwart Trump’s 2024 campaign. Most independents align with the sentiment that any effort to overturn an election is a threat to democracy.
Furthermore, a report by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) highlights the heightened tensions surrounding the prospect of political violence in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. Approximately 23% of Americans believe that “true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save our country,” marking a distressing uptick from 15% in 2021.
Despite differing opinions on the necessity of political violence, there’s a consensus on the importance of comprehensive historical education. The PRRI survey found that 94% of Americans agree on teaching both the positive and negative aspects of history to children.
