She Watched January 6 From Trump’s White House (w/ Sarah Matthews)
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Sarah Matthews, then a 25-year-old Deputy Press Secretary, watched the January 6th Capitol attack unfold from her desk in the West Wing.
- ❖Senior White House officials reported that Trump was 'enjoying what he's seeing' and 'didn't want to call off the mob' during the attack.
- ❖Trump initially resisted including the word 'peaceful' in any public statement, only agreeing after Ivanka Trump suggested the phrase 'stay peaceful'.
- ❖Matthews' 'red line' and breaking point was January 6th, despite prior discomfort with Trump's actions and election lies.
- ❖The host and guest criticize older Republican leaders for their complicity and lack of accountability for Trump, contrasting it with the difficult choices made by younger staffers like Matthews.
- ❖A perceived lack of accountability for Trump post-January 6th led to public desensitization and a belief that his actions were not 'really so bad'.
- ❖The guest quotes Tom Jocelyn, lead author of the January 6th committee report, comparing Trump's actions to 'Velociraptors figured out how to get out of their cages,' exploiting constitutional ambiguities.
Insights
1Trump's Indifference and Resistance to Calling Off the Mob on January 6th
Sarah Matthews, present in the West Wing, learned from senior officials that President Trump was 'enjoying what he's seeing' and 'didn't want to call off the mob' as the Capitol was being attacked. This indicates a deliberate choice by Trump to allow the violence to continue, rather than an oversight or misunderstanding of the situation.
Matthews states, 'I interacted with other higherup senior officials in the administration who were having conversations with him. And they were the ones telling me, 'He doesn't care, Sarah. He is enjoying what he's seeing. He doesn't want to call off the mob.''
2Ivanka Trump's Role in Trump's 'Stay Peaceful' Tweet
When Matthews urged Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to get Trump to issue a statement calling for peace, Trump initially resisted using the word 'peaceful.' It was only after Ivanka Trump suggested the phrase 'stay peaceful' that he agreed to include it in a tweet. This highlights the internal struggle to get Trump to address the violence and his reluctance to do so.
Matthews recounts McEnany telling her, 'Sarah, he didn't want to mention peace of any sort... We went through several phrases with him trying to get him to include that word and it was only after Ivanka Trump suggested the phrase stay peaceful that he said, 'Okay, we'll go with that one.''
3January 6th as a 'Red Line' for Trump Administration Officials
Despite growing discomfort with Trump's rhetoric and actions, including his election lies, January 6th served as the ultimate 'breaking point' for Matthews. She viewed it as an 'assault on democracy' that transcended all previous concerns, leading to her resignation.
Matthews states, 'I knew on the night of the election that he lost fair and square to Joe Biden. And so it was this slow burn for me that then just culminated with January 6 and I just couldn't stomach it any longer.' Later, 'To me, you know, that was my breaking point. That was my red line.'
4Lack of Accountability Normalizes Undemocratic Actions
The failure of Republican leaders (like Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell) and the Justice Department (Merrick Garland) to hold Trump accountable for January 6th sent a clear message that such actions would face little consequence. This normalization has led to public desensitization and emboldened further challenges to constitutional limits.
Matthews argues, 'they watched the leaders of the party be okay with what Trump did. And so in their mind, this was just another crazy Trump thing... And I think too that it takes a special level of privilege to care about democracy.' The host adds, 'what happens without accountability. when you don't have it, it shows people that they'll just let you go.'
Lessons
- Critically evaluate political figures' actions, especially during crises, and recognize when rhetoric crosses into dangerous territory, as seen with Trump's 'fight like hell' speech.
- Understand the immense pressure and moral dilemmas faced by young political staffers, and consider the systemic factors that can lead individuals to compromise their beliefs.
- Advocate for robust accountability mechanisms within political systems to prevent the normalization of actions that undermine democratic processes and institutions.
- Recognize the generational and platform-specific differences in how political information is consumed and disseminated (e.g., TikTok for Gen Z, Twitter for older generations) to effectively engage in public discourse.
Notable Moments
Sarah Matthews describes watching the January 6th attack unfold on TV from her desk in the West Wing, a surreal experience where most White House staff were 'freaking out' except for Trump.
This provides a unique, firsthand perspective from inside the White House, highlighting the stark contrast between the staff's alarm and Trump's reported enjoyment and inaction.
Matthews recounts her emotional struggle and tears when offered a spokesperson role for Trump's 2020 campaign, admitting she felt like a 'sellout' given her past non-vote for him.
This moment humanizes the difficult choices political professionals face, illustrating the internal conflict between career opportunity, party loyalty, and personal values, particularly within a controversial administration.
Quotes
"He doesn't care, Sarah. He is enjoying what he's seeing. He doesn't want to call off the mob."
"I knew that I'm a sellout if I take this job. I didn't even vote for the guy. And here I am now about to go be a spokesperson for him on his 2020 re-elect."
"I hold a lot of contempt too for the people who are, you know, two or three times my age who who know better, who have nothing to lose at this point. I had everything to lose when I resigned."
"I am uh extraordinarily hostile to the people who work for Trump uh 2.0 because I think anybody who works for Trump after January 6th like you know like it's like there's I I I I actually did think it made sense for a lot of people to work in Trump 1.0 and say I'm going to keep things on the rails like I am I and and look and it was a tough I I struggled with that. Uh but I did understand that like if you were a general or you know if you were Mattis and Millie you were like no no no I I should be in there."
"It takes a special level of privilege to care about democracy."
"He compared it to the Velociraptors figured out how to get out of their cages. And I thought that that was such a brilliant way of putting it because Trump and his cronies have now figured out that they can test the limits of the Constitution and that there are ambiguities and loopholes there that they can exploit."
Q&A
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