Shortly before crowds of his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, Donald Trump implored them to “take back our country.” His words echoed a long history of authoritarians who have attempted to privatize power and turn it into personal property.
Taking back what is yours would not, by this logic, be trespassing, terrorism or treason. Instead, it is merely setting things right. By inciting a predominantly white crowd to lay siege to an institution that was ratifying what they had been told was a “stolen” election, Trump was trying to preserve his presidency as if it were private property – his to keep, or give away.