Following are remarks by Amb. Norman Eisen (ret), Democracy Defenders Action co-founder and board chair, regarding the five-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Donald Trump went fully authoritarian when he attempted to overturn a free and fair election in 2020, and he has never looked back. That push culminated in the violence and illegality of January 6, 2021. That day turns out to have foreshadowed what was to come.

“Trump regurgitated and ran on the Big Lie in 2024, pardoned more than 1,500 Jan. 6 insurrectionists in one of his first acts on returning to office, and later pardoned the ringleaders who helped him devise his scheme to overturn the 2020 election. He has staffed his administration with election deniers and used the power of the presidency to legitimize falsehoods about the 2020 election.

“Worse still, he has illegitimately attempted to seize power over elections to have his way with them in the future, such as with his illegal elections EO. At Democracy Defenders Action and Democracy Defenders Fund, we are fighting back every day against that and many other manifestations of Trump’s twisted philosophy. We helped secure an injunction against that EO and have litigated against Trump and other election deniers across the country, most recently defending Proposition 50.

“We remember January 6 as a day that broke the American tradition of a peaceful transition of power—but also a day that ultimately resulted in the triumph of our democracy. Our ongoing legal work and successes show that our democracy is resilient, and we have the power to check an authoritarian leader who disregards the rule of law and refuses to accept defeat or heed the will of the people.”

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Democracy Defenders Action brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.