Trump’s pardon promise is self-serving

At a rally in Texas last night, former president Donald Trump suggested that he’d pardon those convicted of crimes linked to the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol. It’s not the first time he’s promised to help those who broke the law in service of his power.

Trump took his Twitter-banished self to Texas for a rally full of his typical blithering, grievance-airing, and self aggrandizing even while his poll numbers have begun to flag. Two big things were notable from his rally speech: he didn’t mention vaccines at all, and he suggested that those facing criminal charges for involvement with the insurrection would get pardoned if he were re-elected.

The first is notable because Trump has seen a dip in his approval numbers since he encouraged his followers to get vaccinated against Covid-19. And why shouldn’t he? Development of the vaccine was one of the most notable positive developments to happen while he was president, though on the whole he did much more to harm Americans during the pandemic than help.

But his base is now rabidly anti-vaccine, and their response to his vax comments prove that. So out goes any mention of the vaccine that may remind his faithful followers of his recent comments (and his vaccinated status).

The most important line from his speech however was his mention of possible pardons for those who stand accused of breaking the law in the January 6 riots at the Capitol.

The mob that day marched to restore power to Trump by overruling the democratic process through violence, an action which most federal GOP lawmakers supported on the day. The attack left 5 dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

But in the year plus since that event, the hard right has sought to valorize the insurrectionists who died or were arrested in connection with the attempted overthrow, like the Nazis did with the infamous “blood flag” from the Beer Hall Putsch, a bloodstained Nazi flag used in the violent insurrection became an almost mythology symbol within the Nazi party in Germany. Similarly, a flag carried in the Jan 6 insurrection was flown and honored at a GOP.

But this is only partly a story about Nazis. Trump himself has been fighting off investigators looking for official links between his administration and those driving the violence on the ground. More and more evidence emerges every day that high level officials and other GOP elected officials were in contact with insurrection organizers.

There’s precedence for this as well. Trump pardoned former advisor Roger Stone, and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort for crimes and corruption in connection to Trump.

Trump’s pardon promise incentivizes those speaking to investigators to keep quiet, knowing that whatever punishment that comes along with covering for Trump will just be washed away later. You know, as long as you help him enough for him to regain power.

It also reassures any future potential insurrectionists that consequences won’t come to them as long as they are successful in putting Trump in power.