Among the Insurrectionists at the Capitol
Jeff Sharlet observed how a months-long campaign of lies and demagoguery by [[Donald Trump]] culminated on January 6, when a charged crowd marched from the Mall to the [[Capitol]], propelled by chants, militia presence, and groups like the [[Proud Boys]] and devotees of [[QAnon]]. He describes how organizers such as [[Nicholas Fuentes]] galvanized "America First" adherents, how invaders breached doors, rifled through senators' desks, and chanted for violence, and how figures like [[Jacob Chansley]] posed in the Senate chamber while [[Ashli Babbitt]] was fatally shot attempting to enter the Speaker's lobby. The piece portrays the attack as an apotheosis of right-wing radicalization—part performance, part insurrection—and situates it in the wider context of post-election grievance, conspiracism, and political failure to contain extremism. He warns about the danger this movement poses to democratic norms.