The demonstration planned for Saturday is probably going to be poorly attended. There is no draw — No stars or GOP officials are attending. And the Trumpers are being told they can’t wear their favorite costumes so what’s the point?
The extremist forums that cheered on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack have soured on the planned Saturday rally in Washington, insisting without evidence that the event is a secret government plot to arrest more people involved in the riot.
Users in extreme far-right Facebook groups and extremist forums such as TheDonald and 4chan, which previously hosted pictures of users streaming into Washington hotel rooms and even maps of the Capitol tunnel system in the days before the Jan. 6 riot, are largely steering users away from the upcoming event.
Those posting on these forums say they largely believe the event to be a setup for a “false flag” event or “honeypot,” in which they’ll be entrapped and coerced to commit violence by federal agents.
The shift offers a window into how the dynamics among some of the most active and extremist online forums have changed in the aftermath of Jan. 6, which has led to hundreds of arrests. Paranoia drives many conversations, and it appears to be inhibiting some extremists’ ability to organize on the open web.
“Now explain how we’re supposed to protest without the FBI busting down your door and you ending up in a DC jail with no court date. I was at the Capitol on J6,” one user wrote on TheDonald. “Any protest after J6 is primed to be a false flag. And you can’t talk about that ‘next level’ here either without the feds busting down your door.”
The “Justice for J6” rally is hosted by Matt Braynard, who worked for Donald Trump’s campaign as director of data and strategy in 2016, and his organization Look Ahead America, according to its website. Look Ahead America is also planning rallies in 17 other cities across the country on the same day. He said rumors of “false flag” attacks are planted by naysayers who want Trump supporters “to be led to thinking that nonaction or violent action is the only answer.”
“There are voices on the left and the right trying to discourage patriotic Americans from believing that the election system cannot be fixed, that voting doesn’t matter, and that public demonstrations like ours are ‘false flag attacks’ and are futile,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security has estimated about 700 people will attend the event. Law enforcement is bracing for the event by installing temporary fencing and activating an “increased presence” from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Don’t get too excited though. The MAGAs have doubled down:
As former President Donald Trump and his allies continue to push false claims that the 2020 election was stolen by Democrats, most Republicans now think supporting Trump’s claim that he won to be a crucial part of their own partisan identity, according to a new poll.
In a new CNN poll released Sunday, 59 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say that believing Trump won the 2020 election is “important” to being a Republican—36 percent indicated that it’s “very important” and 23 percent “somewhat important.”
Of the 40 percent who say that believing Trump won is not important to being a Republican, 15 percent indicated that it’s “not too important” and 25 percent “not important at all.”
Additionally, 61 percent of Republicans consider support for Trump to be a crucial part of what it means to be a Republican—34 percent say it’s “very important” and 27 percent “somewhat important.” Only 23 percent say supporting Trump is “not at all important” to what it means to be a Republican.
Being a Trumper means never having to say you’re sorry.
I’m afraid this will be a reality for America until Trump shuffles off his mortal coil.