Democracy in Crisis: Persuasive Attack on President Donald Trump in the January 6 Select Committee's Final Report

Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 American presidential election. However, President Trump refused to accept his loss and he created and implemented multiple schemes to overthrow the election so he could stay in office. The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol conducted televised hearings into the insurrection and published its report on December 22, 2022. This study employs the Theory of Persuasive Attack to investigate strategies employed to attack Trump in its Report. He was attacked both for action (attempting to overturn the election) and inaction (refusing requests to ask rioters to disperse). Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump on August 1, 2023. On August 14, 2023, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indicted Trump in Georgia for election interference. These events indicate that American democracy was in crisis.