Trump May Come to Regret His Jan. 6 Pardons. Here's Why.

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

76% : Trump promised to "free" the Jan. 6 defendants on his first day back in office, and he has now followed through on that promise.
59% : Plenty of people were convicted of nonviolent offenses, but the notion that Jan. 6 was peaceful or a "day of love," as Trump called it, is an abject lie.
45% : Trump is at the start of his second term, but it's his last one; the Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the House; and the 2026 midterms will be here before we know it.
41% : Tarrio, Rhodes and their associates should feel emboldened, and there is no telling what they will do with Trump now firmly behind them.
41% : Trump would no doubt like his mass pardon to be the last word on Jan. 6 and its legacy.
37% : That means that we may see and read stories in the years to come involving Jan. 6 defendants pardoned by Trump who went on to commit more -- and potentially more serious -- crimes.
35% : He abused the pardon power (again) and has effectively endorsed political violence carried out in his name (again).
32% : Plenty of other Republicans took the same position that JD Vance did and will now have to twist themselves into knots explaining their past comments and their vocal defenses of Trump, who has once again made them look credulous and foolish.
30% : It is not hard to understand why: Despite the best efforts of Trump and many of his political allies, most Americans have not forgotten about what happened that day, and most Americans have rejected the fantasyland version of events that Trump has sought to portray.
30% : Trump has once again sent a disturbing message to his supporters: If you engage in political violence on my behalf, I will protect you.
27% : But this will not be a one-day story, and Trump -- and the Republican Party -- may come to regret the political costs of this decision.
26% : And that is why about half of the country said that Trump should have gone to prison if he had been convicted in the election subversion case.
25% : That is why surveys showed most Americans wanted Trump to stand trial in Washington in the Justice Department's prosecution alleging that he tried to steal the 2020 election in the run-up to the Jan. 6 riot.
24% : That is why most Americans repeatedly told pollsters that they thought Trump was guilty of criminal conduct.
20% : Trump and the Republicans who back this effort will not be able to hide from those developments if they come to pass.
19% : On the substance, Trump has set a deeply disturbing and politically corrupt precedent.
14% : In the wake of the election, many Republicans have tried to claim that the results were somehow an all-purpose vindication of Trump and a repudiation of the Justice Department's long-delayed efforts to hold Trump accountable for his alleged misconduct in connection with the 2020 election.

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