(MENAFN- ValueWalk)
geralt / Pixabay
President Donald Trump, his Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani and several others meticulously planned the insurrection that would unfold on January 6th of last year. Assembling several thousand very angry Americans at the nation's capitol – many of them armed — was an astounding logistical feat.
But there are still two unanswered questions about the behavior of President Trump immediately after he finished addressing a huge rally of his followers at the Eclipse. Both involve his having apparently deviated from the agreed-upon plan that he would lead the attempted coup at the Capitol .
Get Our Activist Investing Case Study!
Get the entire 10-part series on our in-depth study on activist investing in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or print it out to read anywhere! Sign up below!
Q1 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
Seth Klarman Describes His Approach In Rare Harvard Interview
In a rare interview with Harvard Business School that was published online earlier this month, (it has since been taken down) value investor Seth Klarman spoke at length about his investment process, philosophy and the changes value investors have had to overcome during the past decade. Klarman's hedge fund, the Boston-based Baupost has one of Read More
Donald Trump's Speech
As he was winding down his seventy-minute speech to an adoring crowd, Trump uttered these words:“We're going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue -- I love Pennsylvania Avenue -- and we're going to the Capitol… Let's walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Thai's a mile-and-a-half walk. Trump, an avid golfer, had always made his way from hole to hole in his golf cart. What are the odds that he actually intended to march along with his armed minions?
Find A Qualified Financial Advisor
Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes . Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you're ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now .
Surely, he knew that the Secret Service agents assigned to keep him safe would not have thought his walking to the Capitol with an armed mob – even one that had no intention of hurting him – was such a great idea. Trump must have been aware that they would forbid it, perhaps even physically restraining him from going.
Still, Trump's Secret Service detail was no match for all his friendly MAGA supporters with their AR-15 rifles and Glock pistols. If the president really wanted to walk, his Secret Service protectors would have had no choice but walk along with him to the Capitol. My own guess is that this lazy fat slob had no intention of going on a mile and a half march – unless, perhaps, he could make a couple of pit stops to scarf down a few Big Macs with fries. So, he went to Plan B and got into a waiting presidential limousine.
There was just one problem. His Secret Service protectors had no intention of driving him to the Capitol, where their presidential charge would clearly be in considerable danger.
“Where to, Mr. President?”
“Take me to the Capitol.”
“Sorry, sir. We need to go back to the West Wing.”
OK, my second question is: What came next? Here's my guess:
“But I am the effffing President and I want to go to the Capitol!”
“Sorry, sir, but the Capitol will be far too dangerous.” Left unsaid was that what made the place so dangerous.
At this point in the conversation, the president either lunged at the Secret Service Agent driving the limo – or he didn't. And then, perhaps without further ado, the president was driven back to the White House.
Walking Down Pennsylvania Avenue
OK, now let's back-peddle. When Trump announced repeatedly that“we” would be walking down Pennsylvania Avenue, did that“we” did not include him? And when Trump stepped into his limo, did he even consider the possibility that he would not be driven to the Capitol?
Please think about this: The President of the United States helped organize a coup that would enable him to remain in power. He had an armed mob of ardent followers ready and able to walk with him to the Capitol. But he decided instead to catch a ride with his Secret Service detail.
When he was told that he was being taken to the West Wing, was he too timid to ask them to stop the car and let him out? Was the President of the United States an unwilling prisoner being driven back to the White Houe against his will?
Why didn't he just tell his captors to f—k off and let him out of the car? If they didn't, then surely when he got back to the White House , he could have arranged for a caravan of armed followers to personally escort him to the Capitol. Or, short of that, once his followers started the revolution without him, why didn't he at least issue orders by phone?
So, what did this wartime president decide to do that afternoon? He decided to watch his own revolution on TV, but not before placing a“Do Not Disturb!” sign on his door.
Updated on Jul 5, 2022, 11:55 am
MENAFN05072022005205011743ID1104481990
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.