“My first acts as your next President will be to Close the Border, DRILL, BABY, DRILL, and Free January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!” Trump wrote on his misnamed Truth Social website on March 11, 2024.
The imprisoned January 6th insurrectionists are neither “hostages” nor are they, as Trump has called them, “patriots.” All those jailed were tried and convicted in legitimate and independent houses of justice with qualified and non-partisan jurists.Patriots do not attack police officers who are doing their job by protecting human life and property under their charge. Patriots do not wedge and smash police officers between doors. Patriots do not attempt to gauge out the eyes of the people who honorably serve to maintain law and order.
Patriots do not shout racist and antisemitic rants, call for the hanging of the Vice President of the United States, call for the murder of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, or attempt to intimidate and injure elected officials and their staff.
Patriots do not defecate on the floors and walls of the national Capitol, the people’s house.
Hostages are generally innocent bystanders who happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time as opposed to insurrectionists whose intent is to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.
== Donald Trump’s nationalism puts the world in grave danger. What this country needs is a patriot.