Once again, Donald Trump has shown his true colors by allowing his Bedminster golf club to be the venue for a fundraiser supporting January 6 convicts. The event, designed to raise $1 million for legal defense funds, confirms what many Americans have long suspected about the former president: his admiration for those who participated in one of the darkest days in U.S. history remains undeterred.
Fox Business gave details:
Dubbed the “J6 Awards Gala,” the fundraiser is being held independently of Trump’s campaign, but event organizers tell FOX Business that the former president has been invited as a headline speaker. It will be held at his own Bedminster golf club on Sept. 5, and his attendance is pending final confirmation from the Trump presidential campaign. A campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s role in the events of January 6, 2021, is not up for debate—his words and actions inspired thousands of his supporters to storm the Capitol. These rioters aimed to overturn the results of a free and fair election, leading to violence, death, and a lasting stain on American democracy. Rather than distancing himself from this disaster, Trump has embraced it, turning the convicted rioters into martyrs for his cause and, disturbingly, using them as fundraising fodder.
At this event, the support for those convicted of participating in the January 6 attack on the Capitol went beyond mere financial backing—it sent a message that the assault on democracy was somehow justified. It’s a bold move that poses a direct threat to democratic values. According to the event’s description, the funds raised would be directed to the Patriot Freedom Project, a nonprofit organization established to support January 6 defendants.
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The audacity to allow such an event signals a clear attempt to rewrite history. The violent insurrection is being transformed into a righteous rebellion by Trump and his supporters, who continue to push the falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen. But this isn’t just about Trump; this is about a movement that seeks to undermine the rule of law, diminish the sanctity of democratic institutions, and encourage violence as a means to an end.
As Huffington Post wrote:
A video promoting the event features clips of Trump praising those who are being prosecuted for taking part in the Capitol assault. “They ought to release the J6 hostages. They’ve suffered enough,” Trump says in the video from one of his campaign speeches. “I call them hostages. Some people call them prisoners. I call them hostages.”
Michael Fanone, a former Washington, D.C., police officer who suffered a heart attack after being repeatedly tasered by one of Trump’s followers on Jan. 6, said Americans cannot afford to forget what happened that day. “Wake the fuck up, America,” he told HuffPost. “This is who Donald Trump is, a sick motherfucker who fetishizes violence committed on his behalf.”
This blunt assessment gets to the heart of the issue. Trump has long shown a fascination with violence, whether it was calling for the imprisonment of his political opponents or encouraging his supporters to assault protestors at his rallies. The January 6 insurrection was the culmination of years of this rhetoric, and now he’s celebrating those who participated in it.
Let’s be clear: These were not peaceful protestors. They were rioters, many of whom have been charged with serious crimes including assaulting law enforcement officers, destruction of federal property, and attempts to subvert the democratic process. To raise funds for their defense, while framing them as victims, not only distorts the facts but also emboldens future violence. What’s to stop future extremists from taking similar actions if they know that their crimes will be celebrated and financed by the political elite?
The danger in Trump’s actions goes beyond one fundraiser. It signals to his base that violence can be acceptable—so long as it serves the right cause. By celebrating the January 6 rioters, Trump is endorsing this kind of behavior, telling his supporters that breaking the law is justifiable in the name of patriotism. But what kind of patriotism is this? The kind that attacks law enforcement officers and threatens the lives of elected officials? The kind that seeks to overturn the results of an election because you don’t like the outcome?
This is the America Trump wants to create, where loyalty to him supersedes loyalty to the Constitution. Where the truth is malleable, and where violence is rewarded with praise and money. If we don’t wake up and recognize the peril this represents to our democracy, we will be complicit in the unraveling of the very freedoms we cherish.
In 2024, Trump will likely be on the ballot again, and this should serve as a stark reminder of what’s at stake. A return to the White House for him would not be a return to normalcy—it would be the culmination of a long, dark slide into authoritarianism, where democratic norms are eroded, and violence is legitimized.
For those who care about the future of this country, this is the time to wake up. This isn’t just about one event or one former president. This is about the future of American democracy and whether we, as a nation, are willing to stand up for it.
Featured image via Creative Commons
