The president must be removed for inciting violence on the Capitol but Republicans also share blame for his toxic legacy
It’s easier to understand last week’s turmoil in Washington if it is viewed as the disastrous culmination of a five-year process of degradation that began when Donald Trump launched his bid for the presidency. The unreasoning mayhem, the divisive rhetoric, the destructive, delusional behaviour and the violence that engulfed Capitol Hill on Wednesday are hallmarks of the benighted Trump era. It was obvious that America’s long slide into ignominy must eventually end in tears. And so it has.
This dramatic implosion shamed the world’s leading democracy, shocked its friends and delighted its enemies. Perhaps it could have been avoided with better security. Yet in many ways, a final, highly symbolic collision between Trump’s ugly brand of populism and established power, embodied by Congress, was unavoidable. Trump lacks boundaries. He always goes too far – in his confrontational policies, his vilification of opponents and his dysfunctional relationships. His post-election breakdown, rooted in bruised ego and denial, led inevitably to meltdown.