In the final analysis, Trump can only respond to the hearings in the following ways:
- What riot? They were just tourists. The video is fake, and the witnesses were bought.
- The rioters were good, patriotic people, but they went too far. I didn’t do anything to encourage them to riot.
- Damn right I told them to invade the Capitol! The election was rigged! Real Americans had their government stolen away from them! The rioters were heroes, not criminals!
- Politics is purely an exercise in the gaining and use of power; rules have nothing to do with it. Anyone who believes otherwise is a sentimental sap. As a result, I was justified in doing absolutely everything necessary in order to stay in office.
Based on our experience, I would say that Trump really believes in #4. He won’t say that in public, however. He seems to be leaning to a combination of #1 and #3, even though no sane person believes #1.