The Jan. 6 rally that fed the deadly Capitol siege was reportedly a Trump White House production

Trump
(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

In the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, "a picture has emerged of entropic forces coming together on Trump's behalf in an ad hoc, yet calamitous, crash of rage and denial," The New York Times reports in a detailed look at "the 77 democracy-bending days between election and inauguration" of President Biden. "But interviews with central players, and documents including previously unreported emails, videos, and social media posts scattered across the web, tell a more encompassing story of a more coordinated campaign," ultimately "summoned and directed by the departing president" in "one final norm-defying act of a reality-denying presidency."

The Jan. 6 rally at the Ellipse that led to the mobbing of the Capitol was originally organized by a pro-Trump group called Women for America First. After Trump decided on Dec. 18 that trying to get Congress to overturn his loss on Jan. 6 was his last best hope, the group, founded by Tea Party veteran Amy Kremer and led by her daughter, Kylie Jane Kremer, put together a multi-state bus tour to Washington, D.C.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.