The dimming beacon

The scope of America's support for global democratic movements lacked consistency.

January 6, 2021, will be remembered as a day of infamy in the history of American democracy. On this day, the world witnessed a fanatical pro-Donald Trump mob breaking into the United States Capitol to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Trump lost the election, called it 'fraudulent' and refused to concede. Earlier that day, Trump had incited the armed mob to reject the results of the election and 'march to the Capitol'. When the mob broke into the Capitol, the elected representatives in the House and the Senate were going through the constitutionally mandated formality of certifying Biden’s victory. According to reports, security personnel managed to usher them into hiding about three minutes before the mob got there. An ongoing investigation of the break-in suggests the attack was part of a planned, coordinated insurgency to return Trump to the White House for a second term.