It’s been 18 months exactly since the Capitol insurrection of January 6, 2021. And while former president Donald Trump continues to deny that he had anything to do with the deadly attacks perpetrated by his followers (who he described as “well-behaved”), he isn’t being shy about sharing the positive effect they’ve had on his popularity. Or he’s simply not bright enough to make the connection.
As Raw Story reports, on Tuesday evening the former president shared a story from CNN of all places titled “Donald Trump has become more popular since the January 6 Capitol attack” on his TRUTH Social page. While he shared the link as well, the nearly 12,000 people who liked the post or the 2,860 who “ReTruthed” it (yes, that’s the actual word) probably didn’t bother to read it, as it’s not the most flattering portrait. In the month-old analysis, CNN’s Harry Enten asks:
So just what happened to allow Trump to become less unpopular? The answer is probably simple: time. Trump is no longer the president. Americans’ memories tend to be very short. Issues that once seemed important (e.g., controlling the coronavirus pandemic) have sunk to the bottom of the priorities list for most voters, as new concerns arise (e.g., inflation).
The question for which the answer is yet unknown is what happens if Trump decides to run for president again? Will the American public’s strong dislike of him from January 2021 return? Or does distance really make the heart grow fonder?
Whereas Trump had nearly 90 million followers on Twitter at the time he was permanently banned, Raw Story reports that he has just a fraction of that number—3.4 million—on TRUTH. So, given TRUTH Social’s struggles (add it to the list of Trump’s many failed business ventures), perhaps the former president just assumed no one would ever read it.
Ever since former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s explosive testimony in front of the January 6 committee, more witnesses to the events of—and leading up to—that day have reportedly come forward. On Tuesday, it was announced that former deputy White House press secretary Sarah Matthews has agreed to testify next week.
(Via Raw Story)