After four years, none of this should be a surprise

Trump’s refusal to condemn the neo-Nazis among his supporters, his calls to ‘liberate’ states during lockdowns and his silence on a foiled plan to kidnap Wisconsin state governor Gretchen Whitmer and put her on trial for treason all led to the events in Washington last week

Some of the pro-Trump mob who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday: looking at the events of the past four years, the only surprise is that it didn’t happen sooner. Picture: Bryan Dozier/Shutterstock

The cataclysmic events of last week were clearly signposted, every step of the way. It was inevitable that Trump’s four years of tumult, chaos and gleeful stoking of the cold civil war that festered under his administration would end in violence and a ham-fisted insurrection.

Red lights have been flashing for years, not months. Back in August 2017, neo-Nazis marched on Charlottesville, tiki torches in hand, bedecked with Confederate flags and neo-Nazi regalia as they ...