How Trump Kept Control of the G.O.P. After Jan. 6

By Blake Hounshell and Leah Askarinam

Hi. Welcome to On Politics, your usher to the governmental quality successful Washington and crossed the nation. We’re your hosts, Blake and Leah.

Today, we person a impermanent point from our workfellow Jeremy W. Peters, adapted from his forthcoming book, “Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted.” It volition beryllium published connected Feb. 8.

‘But the radical similar maine the best, by far’

Six weeks aft the Jan. 6 battle connected the Capitol, Donald Trump’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio, conducted a survey of Republicans that looked astatine however good liked the erstwhile president was among respective chiseled groups of voters wrong the party.

It was the archetypal clip Fabrizio had done a elaborate breakdown of the G.O.P. electorate since 2007, erstwhile helium identified an emerging conception helium called “Dennis Miller Republicans,” aft the comedian who prides himself connected being brash and politically incorrect. The increasing consciousness of taste isolation and choler among these Americans — conservatives, independents and erstwhile Democrats — shaped the contours of what would go the Trump movement.

A seasoned G.O.P. pollster who has worked connected statesmanlike campaigns going backmost to Patrick J. Buchanan’s archetypal White House bid successful 1992, Fabrizio saw however thoroughly Trump had remade the G.O.P. successful his representation — and however enduring his popularity remained, adjacent aft the onslaught connected the spot of American democracy.

The radical who described themselves arsenic the astir committed Republicans were besides the astir apt to accidental they were committed to Trump, Fabrizio recovered successful his post-Jan. 6 survey. Feelings astir the erstwhile president, helium explained successful his analysis, were truthful intertwined with the knowing galore voters had astir what it meant to beryllium a beardown Republican that “Trumpism and enactment fidelity” were becoming 1 and the same.

Trump hits bottom

In the contiguous aftermath of Jan. 6, Trump’s enduring entreaty was not truthful apparent. A Pew Research canvass taken a fewer days aft the onslaught showed his support standing reaching the lowest constituent of his presidency — conscionable 29 percent. Senior Republicans had spent the erstwhile 4 years cautiously avoiding nonstop struggle with Trump. Now, they felt a request to denounce him.

Kevin McCarthy, the House G.O.P. leader, urged his colleagues to enactment a solution to censure Trump for inciting the violence. And successful a code connected Jan. 13, the time Trump was impeached for the 2nd time, McCarthy was unambiguous astir wherever helium believed the blasted fell. “The president bears work for Wednesday’s onslaught connected Congress by mob rioters,” helium said.

Even erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence, who connected Jan. 6 was hustled retired of the Senate enclosure by Secret Service agents who were acrophobic helium was a target, was aggravated capable to fume privately to a Republican senator, “After each the things I’ve done for him.”

‘One time successful January’

The breach didn’t past long. And burying the representation of what happened connected Jan. 6 — which Pence downplayed precocious arsenic “one time successful January” — has go a necessity to maintaining powerfulness and relevance successful today’s G.O.P.

One twelvemonth aft that time successful January, polls amusement that astir Republicans spot small request to re-examine — oregon adjacent admit — what happened. Around three-quarters of them inactive presumption Trump favorably, oregon astir the aforesaid arsenic erstwhile Fabrizio conducted his canvass soon aft Jan. 6. And determination is nary surer motion that the Republican Party remains the enactment of Trump than the information that determination remains nary evident oregon capable challenger to him successful sight.

McCarthy was among the archetypal to alteration tack, visiting Trump’s Palm Beach property successful precocious January. After the 2 men posed for a photo, a Trump spokesperson released a connection announcing that the 2 men had agreed to enactment unneurotic to reclaim the House majority.

“President Trump’s popularity has ne'er been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means much than possibly immoderate endorsement astatine immoderate time,” the connection noted. McCarthy has since tried to derail the legislature committee investigating the attacks.

No remorse

No 1 seems much intent connected proving however damaging it is politically for a Republican to question Trump’s revisionist accounts of what happened successful the 2020 predetermination and connected Jan. 6 than Trump himself.

In an interrogation astatine Mar-a-Lago a fewer weeks aft the attack, helium suggested that Pence had jeopardized his governmental aboriginal by not heeding his request to interfere with the counting of the Electoral College votes successful Congress that day.

“There was nary downside,” Trump said. “So Mike could person done that. And I privation helium did. I deliberation it would person been overmuch amended for the country. I besides deliberation it would person been amended for Mike.”

He expressed small involvement successful discussing what harm mightiness person befallen Pence, his beseechingly loyal lieutenant of 4 years, arsenic rioters marauded done the halls of Congress calling for his execution. Their threats weren’t real, helium insisted. “I deliberation it was an expression. I don’t deliberation they would person ever thought of doing it,” helium said.

As Republicans astatine archetypal tried to dispel the thought that Trump’s dominance implicit the enactment would proceed erstwhile helium near office, galore of them sounded similar Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who said successful a tv interrogation a twelvemonth ago that the G.O.P. belonged to nary azygous idiosyncratic but to its voters — the people.

Trump, however, offered a revealing clarification to Scott’s comment: “But the radical similar maine the best, by far.”

What to read

• For The New York Times Magazine, Susan Dominus and Luke Broadwater interviewed much than 20 Capitol Police officers and their families astir their affectional and carnal scars aft the Jan. 6 riot. Officers who person since near the section “said the failures of Jan. 6 were the astir egregious of a bid of absorption crises and errors.”

• Broadwater and Alan Feuer person written a preview of what the legislature committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks is planning, and Broadwater explained what the sheet tin really accomplish.

• Pro-Trump groups are raising wealth and holding events that “seem intended to reenforce the erstwhile president’s grip connected the Republican Party and its donors,” Kenneth P. Vogel and Shane Goldmacher report.

• Time is moving retired for New York’s bipartisan redistricting committee to gully caller legislature and authorities legislative maps, which makes it progressively apt that Democratic supermajorities successful the Legislature volition person the last connection instead, Nicholas Fandos writes.

• The New York Times asked parents astir kid attraction during the pandemic, and Maggie Astor shared a fistful of responses.

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What you privation to know

We asked what you wanted to work successful 2022, and readers of On Politics surely delivered.

Our inbox was afloat of your questions astir voting entree and your idiosyncratic experiences with the pandemic, not to notation requests to larn much astir idiosyncratic governmental figures and planetary politics.

We’ve bookmarked these ideas for aboriginal newsletters, but successful the meantime we noted a existent consciousness of anxiousness astir polarization and the endurance of antiauthoritarian institutions. A fewer examples below:

“How bash we hole this? Did folks successful 1850 inquire the aforesaid question? How bash you halt a tidal wave? And yet determination is inactive drivers ed and wrestling tournaments and Xmas and assemblage applications and the caller iPhone.” — Amy Vansen, Michigan

“We’ve lived done a batch of governmental crises but this is 1 messiness we would anticipation not to permission down for our children and grandchildren to woody with.” — Jaime McBrady, Medellín, Colombia

“When I work successful today’s communicative ‘just arsenic predetermination play begins successful earnest,’ I cursed. I americium precise bushed of proceeding everything related to the predetermination prospects of the parties truthful acold up of the event.” — Keith Johnson, Seattle

One much thing…

Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who lives successful Richmond, was among hundreds of drivers stranded successful traffic connected I-95 aft an unusually terrible wintertime tempest deed the Washington, D.C. area.

Key Figures successful the Jan. 6 Inquiry

He posted a tweet from the roadworthy connected Tuesday morning, reporting, “I started my mean 2 hr thrust to DC astatine 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I’m inactive not adjacent the Capitol.”

Kaine had been headed to Washington for an 8 p.m. gathering connected voting rights to assistance Democrats puzzle done however to enactment astir a Republican filibuster. But, arsenic temperatures plunged into the 20s, crystal brought the interstate to a standstill, and helium got stuck.

“This has been a miserable experience,” Kaine told WTOP, a Washington-area vigor station. “But astatine immoderate point, I benignant of made the power from a miserable question acquisition into benignant of a endurance project.”

By 3:45 p.m., Kaine tweeted, “Ok aft 27 hours connected the roadworthy from Richmond to DC, precise blessed to beryllium backmost successful the Capitol and moving connected voting rights authorities this afternoon.”

— Blake

Is determination thing you deliberation we’re missing? Anything you privation to spot much of? We’d emotion to perceive from you. Email america astatine onpolitics@nytimes.com.