Donald,

What to say?

I don’t know.

The in our faces events of the day have been scrutinized and parsed every which way from Sunday and there are still countless declarations swirling about the necessity for more scrutiny and parsing about how it was that the mob breached the Capitol, how it was that we got to this place, who knew what, when and didn’t respond appropriately, and who might have aided and abetted instrumentally. There are calls for your immediate removal either by some sort of supersonic impeachment process or invocation of Article 25.

We know, though, that there’s no way you’re leaving early. Pence and McConnell may have found some of the missing parts of their spines under their beds this morning, but there’s no way in hell that either of them are going to show you the door a second earlier than 12pm EST on 1/20/21 if for no other reason than that they value their own lives and those of their families. You and your terrorists have put everyone on notice that to cross you in substantial, publicly humiliating ways, is to risk assassination.

We also know that today’s events will not curb your lies, your vitriol, your gaslighting. It won’t matter to you that at least four people died during the melee or that Congress people, their aids, the press all had to be issued gas masks and sheltered in place, many blockading themselves in their offices or hiding in out of the way places. It won’t matter to you that two bombs were found in the Capitol building.

Well, actually, it will matter to you – it does matter to you – but only in the most disgusting and cynical of ways. You never expected that your mob would actually succeed in overturning the election, that wasn’t ever your aim in all this. You’re certainly one of the dimmest bulbs on the stage, but you aren’t stupid.

No, I think you are looking for a prominent place in the history books. The more I read of American history, the more I’m seeing how you and your administration have recycled the worst of the worst old political plays and maneuvers in this insanely compressed timeframe, but you and you alone will go down as the president who not only refused to concede, but who incited his fellow citizens to violent insurrection to (ostensibly) overturn an election.

I’m sure you and your inner circle have also figured out ways to cash in financially on all this, but I think it’s the historical legacy angle that captured your sick imagination. I’m guessing this outcome is even better, in your mind, than a ho hum, not unique, second term would have been. Well, except for not having four more years of “stay out of jail, free” status. But still – you thrive on notoriety, attention (good or bad), and novelty – so what you managed to pull off today got you all that for the ages.

And you helped US to see (again) just how strong White supremacy’s grip is on this country because instead of four deaths, had it been thousands of BIPOC people protesting and storming the Capitol, there would have been hundreds of deaths.  

And you broke a lot of hearts into even smaller pieces than they were in just yesterday.

May we be safe.
May we some day find some way back to happiness.
May we be strong.
May we accept that our country is broken and cannot mend until numerous truth and reconciliation processes are undertaken in good faith.

Sincerely,
Tracy Simpson