Three years since the attack on Congress to “stop the steal,” a recent poll indicates that most Republicans continue to believe the 2020 election was stolen and a third of Republicans believe the attack on the U.S. Capitol was instigated by the FBI.

Welcome to a post-truth world, thanks to a gifted demagogue and right-wing media providers that compete to attract viewers by providing the most provocative stories or conspiracies. Republicans do not even know about the Fox texts disclosed in the Dominion lawsuit, where prominent personalities acknowledged they were presenting lies on the air or hated Donald Trump, yet continued to give their viewers what they wanted to hear for ratings.

Trump has expressed love for the “beautiful” people that attacked the Capitol and has promised to pardon them. With few exceptions, Republican leaders, scared of offending their propagandized supporters, ignore or enable Trump and his lies to keep their precious jobs secure in the next election.

For supporters, if information contradicts Trump, it is a lie. Prominent conservative lawyers have meticulously addressed individual election lies, but critical thinking is no competitor to the anger and tribalism surrounding the self-serving lies of Trumpism.

The only way to make sure this fiasco never happens again is to hold everybody involved in criminal behavior accountable. It was all a lie and Trump knew it. Who has “Trump Derangement Syndrome?”

Thomas Williamson

Durango