It goes beyond the Capitol attack — large numbers of Americans see violence as necessary

Violent protesters who stormed the Capitol in Washington appeared to have been inspired by conspiracy theories or extremist ideologies. — AP

OVER the course of three absolutely devastating days in former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial before the Senate last week, Democratic House impeachment managers drew a direct line from the deadly white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, to the violent siege of the Michigan State House to the unprecedented Jan 6 mayhem at the Capitol.

In speech after speech, and tweet after tweet, Trump was shown tacitly or overtly encouraging and defending violence among his supporters. Whether he was encouraging cops to rough up suspects, egging on supporters to beat up hecklers or praising white supremacists after a deadly march, he made it crystal clear: His use of the word "fight" was not meant metaphorically.