HOW US DEMOCRACY NEARLY CAME UNDONE

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HOW US DEMOCRACY NEARLY CAME UNDONE

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• Hunting the enemy: When Trump supporters physically stormed the US Capitol on 6th Jan, 2021, they hunted down the lawmakers and staff who went into urgent hiding. The result of divisions sowed by Trump had come to fruition in full public glare! The grace of the Capitol was burnt down amid Trump flags, tear gas, firings and violence. Some died.
• Mocking democracy: The hooligans (terrorists?) mocked the offices in Capitol, entering all physical spaces one by one - House of Representatives, Senate, etc. It was the last act of desperation by outgoing President Donald Trump, who never accepted Joe Biden's victory, and had instigated the mob directly. His team had urged followers for a "trial by combat". The coup was on.
• Forces come in: The security officers were not prepared for such an assault, stoked by consistent egging on by Trump and his team for weeks. Trump was unapologetic, and said this is what happens when elections are stolen! He branded his violent goons "patriots" and others "traitors". Social media firms locked his accounts for stoking violence!
• Angry with the VP: The Vice President Mike Pence had refused to play ball, by not signing off on the official results of the elections, earlier. Trump was enraged! He gave a tepid response to the violence and continued watching it on TV. The White House sank in an environment of disillusionment and disgust, with staff planning mass resignations. Some feared that leaving now would lead to more damage and decided to stay on.
• What virus: Trump never cared for the coronavirus pandemic, leading to many more deaths than were warranted in a nation like the USA. He gave up on the virus response totally, after the election results. He didn't even act to end the violence, and the VP and staff forced him to. Even then, the blame lied with the hunted, not the rioters! Senior Republicans asked him to end the "banana republic nonsense".
• Maskless and MAGA-hatted: Throngs of such men and women just barged into the Capitol, evading the pepper sprays! The Capitol Police urgently stopped all proceedings of the House and Senate, and rushed people to safety. 
• Ready to shoot: Though the police were heavily outnumbered, but at certain locations, in order to stop the possible breaches by the rioters, they were ready with their guns pointing at the doors. 
• Democracy in peril: Lawmakers confided that they realised in past 4 years that US democracy was in danger, and hoped that this was the final and worst moment of it. They accepted that this is how a coup would be started.
• Death of democracy: Perhaps, some may say that democracy did not die and no lawmaker died for sure. But the US always sets high standards for the rest of the world, and this surely isn't the right example it has now set. Meanwhile, Trump remains wholly unrepentant. 

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