Jan. 6 Committee Has Exposed Donald Trump – Will Democrats Benefit?

Damning revelations about Donald Trump during the Jan. 6 committee public hearings haven’t stopped Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) from calling for those with additional information about the actions and alleged crimes of the former president to come forward.

“I know the information we presented over the last week is shocking – the idea that a President of the United States would orchestrate a scheme to stay in power after the people had voted him out of office,” Thompson said. 

“We’re able to present this information because so many witnesses have cooperated with our probe. But the fact is, there are more people with direct knowledge – with evidence – germane to our investigation. So, I ask those who might be on the fence about cooperating to reach out to us,” he said. 

Thompson’s remarks came after overwhelming evidence – including testimony from Trump’s former allies – further revealed the former president’s role in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers sought to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Nonetheless, Trump, even in defeat, continues to maintain a stranglehold on the Republican party as many of the candidates he backed and endorsed prevailed in recent elections in states including South Carolina, Nevada and Texas.

And as President Joe Biden’s popularity numbers stagnate, Democrats could suffer significant losses in the upcoming midterm elections.

Meanwhile, speculation has grown over a potential Trump triumph in 2024.

“Democrats are in an unenviable political position right now,” Andrew Torrez, a legal communicator and host of the podcast “Opening Arguments,” stated.

“President Biden’s approval ratings are 10 points underwater and the incumbent generally loses seats in the midterm elections,” Torrez said. “If the underlying dynamics don’t change, Democrats are looking at losing both houses of Congress in November, followed by two years of obstruction by Republicans and defeat at the ballot box – potentially to Trump – in 2024.”

Michael Montgomery, a Detroit-based consultant and educator observed that Trump “has the Republican base in his back pocket.”

“They hate the same people he does and believe his lies,” said Montgomery, who teaches in the College of Education, Health and Human Services at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

“His election lies have sunk so deeply into the Republican base as to now be articles of faith for most Republican voters and candidates seeking to court them,” Montgomery said. “Trump’s hold on the party will not be broken until it produces multiple catastrophic losses. Until then, establishment Republicans are going to mostly lay low.” 

Samantha Crunkilton, an e-Commerce software professional and community activist who serves on the board at the Nevada Federation of Democratic Women, called Trump’s hold on the GOP frightening. 

“It’s been interesting and scary to watch Trump’s hold on the GOP even after two years and as the Jan. 6 committee hearings are happening,” Crunkilton wrote in an email.

“The GOP has spent decades chipping away at the court system and gerrymandering their districts to keep their minority control,” she said. “They are also very solid and consistent on messaging [and say] the party line over and over – the rhetoric over the last several years of ‘us versus them,’ ‘the system doesn’t work’ and ‘freedoms being taken away’ are powerful. Trump has been the best at it.”

Further, “Trump’s hold on the GOP will definitely get him the nomination,” said historian and political scientist William S. Bike.

Bike, the author of “Winning Political Campaigns,” believes Trump and Biden are headed for a rematch in 2024.

“[Trump] will motivate the Republican base like no other Republican candidate could,” Bike said. “However, he will also motivate Democrats to come out like no other Republican candidate could. So, expect doom and gloom predictions on both sides – fear-based campaigns predicting disaster if the other candidate wins.” 

“The days of the gentlemanly campaigns of opponents like Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter are dead and buried,” he said. “Campaigns are all-out war now and that’s another thing Republicans like.”