Head Case: Trump’s pardon of Jan. 6 attackers is pure projection, and exactly what a dictator would do

On his first day in office, President Again issued a sweeping pardon of the January 6 rioters who brought terror to the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Psychology professors seeking a case of projection can now use Trump’s pardons as a classic example. 

From Psychology Today: “‘Projection’ refers to a defense mechanism where an individual unconsciously attributes their own thoughts, feelings and traits onto another person, essentially ‘projecting’ their internal experiences onto someone else, often as a way to avoid confronting uncomfortable aspects of themselves.”

Despite his narcissism, Trump knows he incited the hooligans to attack the Capitol. He knows he could have been convicted of crimes related to Jan. 6 had justice come sooner. Pardoning the attackers is a way of pardoning himself.

It’s also exactly what a dictator would do, using his power to destroy an absolutely essential guardrail of democracy — the legitimate actions of the justice system to hold citizens accountable for their crimes. 

In this case, the crimes were against American democracy itself. The people Trump incited on Jan. 6 tried to stop a constitutional process, a step in the peaceful transfer of presidential power, and they physically attacked the police officers assigned to defend the Capitol. That last bit, attacking cops, has been completely ignored by Trump and Republicans who claim to stand for law and order. The president and party that would deport 12 million people because they are in the country illegally are fine with granting clemency to hundreds of people who beat up cops and tried to stage a coup.

But we knew this would happen.

It was promised. Trump called his violent supporters “patriots.”

Some 77 million voters either were not troubled by Trump’s pledge to pardon the insurrectionists or, more likely, couldn’t see how it affected the price of eggs. Either way, with a Day One executive order, President Again has relieved himself of the duty of defending democracy and, through projection, pardoned himself, which is exactly what a dictator would do.