Trump's Strategy: Forging Loyalty With Extremists Through Pardons
The day Trump issued mass pardons for January 6 insurrectionists marked one of the most outrageous yet predictable betrayals of America. I warned about the dangers, writing: “The pardoning of insurrectionists is Trump’s way of building loyalty from militias and domestic terrorists to carry out unofficial acts for him.”
I’m following up because this is outrageous and demands a serious warning. To be clear: this isn’t just about pardons—it’s a calculated strategy to build an unofficial army of loyalists willing to commit acts of violence, domestic terrorism, and intimidation on Trump’s behalf.
By pardoning insurrectionists—many of whom violently attacked police officers and tried to stop a peaceful transfer of power—Trump is sending a chilling message to militias, domestic terrorists, and extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers: You are above the law, as long as you serve me. I am not being hyperbolic; it’s an authoritarian blueprint seen before.
A Loyalty Pledge to Extremists
The whole world watched the January 6th attack unfold, witnessing the violent assault that left more than 150 officers injured, some struck with baseball bats, flagpoles, and pipes. Despite the severity of these acts, committed on behalf of Trump, he didn’t waste time erasing the convictions of those responsible.
Among the serious criminals pardoned, Enrique Tarrio, former Proud Boys leader, was released from prison after being sentenced to 22 years on sedition charges. This is the same Proud Boys that Trump, during a 2020 debate with Biden, told to “stand back and stand by”—a message they heard loud and clear—and violently acted on.
Shortly after his release, emboldened Tarrio promised “retribution” in an interview with Alex Jones: “I’d like to thank again President Donald J. Trump for helping us through these difficult times and releasing me, Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola. Right? And all the J6ers,” Tarrio said. “We went through hell, and I’m gonna tell you, it was worth it, because what we stood for and what those guys stood for was what we’ve been fighting for and what we saw yesterday on the inauguration stage. I can’t tell you it’s been easy, but I will tell you it’s been worth it.”
Similarly, Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, had his sentence commuted and called it a “good day for America.” He expressed hope that Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, would “get in there and clean house.” Rhodes went on to call for the prosecution of “prosecutors who suborned perjury.”
Pardoned Jake Lang said.“We are back – the patriots. We don’t have to crawl in the back corners of Facebook and Instagram, being censored. We’ve got X, we’ve got Trump, we’ve got Musk. We’ve got the dream team!”
And Shaman Chansley wrote on X; “I JUST GOT THE NEWS FROM MY LAWYER…I GOT A PARDON BABY! THANK YOU PRESIDENT TRUMP!!!” “NOW I AM GONNA BUY SOME MOTHA FU*KIN GUNS!!! I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!”
These were just some of the outrageous responses showing how confident they feel.
Trump isn’t just rewarding loyalty but reinforcing it for future use. By erasing their crimes, Trump has forged an unbreakable pact with these groups, ensuring their allegiance. But this pact is not merely symbolic—it’s transactional. Trump is signaling that he will rely on these individuals to carry out unofficial acts of provocations, violence, domestic terrorism, intimidation, and retribution on his behalf.
Trump calling their sentences “ridiculous and excessive” and labeling them as “people who love our country”—sends a very clear message: violence in his name will not only be tolerated but celebrated and rewarded.
And now, some of these emboldened criminals are escalating the threat, posting photos of their jail guards online and encouraging their followers to seek revenge.
The Russian Playbook
The propaganda framing these insurrectionists as “political prisoners” didn’t start with Republicans. It started in Russia, on January 19, 2021, when Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of Russia’s State Duma, declared the insurrectionists to be “real political prisoners.” Shortly afterward, Republicans began using this narrative, amplifying it in their propaganda as they sought to rewrite the events of one of the darkest days in America. And now, they are using it to justify their support for Trump’s pardons.
This is no coincidence. Trump’s authoritarian tendencies mirror those of Putin, who has long weaponized criminal networks to enforce loyalty, carry out assassinations, provocations, and other unofficial acts on behalf of the Kremlin or security services. In Russia, criminal gangs, mercenaries, and other loyalist groups are used to carry out tasks the regime can deny or distance itself from, ensuring plausible deniability while maintaining control.
Abroad, Russia has used "titushkis" in Ukraine to carry out provocations, incite protests and unrest, and beat protesters. These tactics are now being mirrored in Georgia, where Russian-style titushki gangs of thugs have been targeting political opponents, journalists, and protesters who are challenging the regime and fighting for their future.
Trump, by pardoning these violent criminals and creating a culture of impunity, is adopting a similar strategy—setting the stage to rely on these groups to carry out violent and politically motivated acts while keeping his hands clean. And this may lead to a sharp increase in domestic terrorism and violent acts, which could provide Trump with the justification to implement repressive measures.
Republicans Are Whitewashing History
Meanwhile, the same Republicans who cowered in fear and ran for their lives during the January 6 insurrection have spent years rewriting history. They’ve gone from condemning the insurrection in the immediate aftermath to openly advocating for pardons for those who attempted to violently overthrow an election.
Even more outrageous, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes visited the scene of the crime, meeting with lawmakers, while Congresswoman Lauren Boebert extended an invitation to the January 6 rioters, offering them a guided tour of the Capitol Building—the very place they desecrated and violently attacked police officers protecting our democracy. Republicans have taken it to a new level of dangerous insanity.
And my question is: who will protect the witnesses, judges, police officers, and January 6 Committee members who held these criminals accountable? These pardoned criminals have already shown a willingness to resort to violence, and now they’re emboldened threatening to seek revenge. If the Trump regime will weaponize government agencies to target innocents while aligning with extremists, who would step in to protect those at risk?
Erasing Accountability
As Trump builds his coalition of militants, he simultaneously erodes the systems designed to hold them accountable. He is attacking the courts, undermining law enforcement, and dismantling oversight while framing the extremists as ‘patriotic’ for carrying out violence. This creates a dangerous situation where those who threaten democracy, civil servants, and opposition are empowered, and those who try to stop them are left unprotected. Without accountability, power can be used without limits, and the rule of law will no longer serve to protect our rights or democracy.
He’s letting everyone know that if someone commits violence on his behalf, he will protect them from prosecution.
The pardons created Trump's Brown Shirts. Totally loyal and armed and ready. Elon Musk, raised by Nazi loving grandparents, giving the Nazi salute 2x at Sundays rally and for the last few weeks disrupting German elections by promoting their right wing Nazi party. Stephen Miller also a full blown Nazi. Both work closely with Trump. So now, when local police or the military refuse trump's directives to turn on their own people based on their oath, trump can call on his private militia and send them in.This is exactly his plan. He has invited them to the White House and people are outraged, but he's inviting them to the White House so he can give them the plan, the codes or the words he'll use to call them in, possibly burner phones and put them on standby alert. I fully suspect that the meeting with them will be private. Possibly trump musk and miller only- that way, there will be no traces, no phone calls, no emails, no text messages. Musk's rally salute - hail victory (Sig Heil) was pretty clear!!