Did the United States just have a coup attempt?
Supporters of President Donald Trump, following his encouragement, stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.
Waving Trump banners, hundreds of people broke through barricades and smashed windows to enter the building where Congress convenes. One rioter died and several police officers were hospitalized in the clash.
Congress went on lockdown.
While violent and shocking, what happened on Jan. 6 wasn’t a coup.
This Trumpist insurrection was election violence, much like the election violence that plagues many fragile democracies.
What is a coup?