By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
What we witnessed on January 6, 2021, was not a momentary lapse in judgment, nor was it simply the actions of an unruly crowd whipped into a frenzy. On the 6th of January, 2021 was a rehearsal. A test run. A public stress test of how far power could be pushed before the guardrails cracked.
And today, as I watch the recent actions and proposals of Donald Trump, I am convinced more than ever that January 6 was never about a single election. It was about establishing permission, permission to ignore laws, undermine institutions, and normalize the seizure of power by force, intimidation, or decree.
On January 6, 2021, the target was the U.S. Capitol.
Today, the targets are broader, courts, federal agencies, independent prosecutors, the press, international norms, and even sovereign nations spoken of as if they are chess pieces to be taken, traded, or controlled.
The connecting theme is unmistakable.
On January 6, 2021, the goal was to overturn the will of the people by pressure, threats, and spectacle. The crowd was the weapon; lies were the fuel; and power was the prize. Today, the methods may appear more polished, but the mindset is the same. When a leader speaks openly about “taking” countries, disregarding alliances, using force as leverage, or ruling by loyalty instead of law, that is not strength that is authoritarian muscle memory.
6th of January 2021 taught us something chilling: if you say it loudly enough, long enough, and with enough confidence, some will follow even when democracy itself is the casualty.
The rhetoric we hear now about dominance, retribution, conquest, and unchecked authority, mirrors the logic that justified an assault on our own democracy. It is the same worldview that sees rules as obstacles, constitutions as inconveniences, and dissent as disloyalty.
Let’s be clear: democracies do not collapse all at once. They erode. Slowly. Intentionally. With applause from those who mistake bravado for leadership.
When a president or any would-be leader suggests that power should be seized rather than earned, enforced rather than entrusted, the lesson of the 6th of January 2021 looms large. That day showed us what happens when ambition is unrestrained by accountability. Today’s proposals show us what happens when that same ambition is allowed to regroup, rebrand, and return emboldened.
For Black America, for marginalized communities, and for anyone who has ever had to fight to be counted, believed, or protected by the law, this is not imaginary. We know what unchecked power looks like. We know how quickly rights can be rolled back, voices silenced, and truth buried.
January 6, 2021, was not the end of a crisis.
It was the warning shot.
And if we fail to connect the dots—between then and now, between domestic insurrection and global strong-man fantasies—we risk pretending that history is not repeating itself simply because the language has changed.
Democracy does not defend itself.
It requires courage, memory, and a refusal to normalize the abnormal.
We ignore that lesson at our own liability.
