New book imagines U.S. if Jan. 6 uprising successful — and author fears could still happen

A new book imagines what would have happened if the Jan. 6 insurrection had been successful — and, in an interview with Salon, the author fears it's not far from a future reality.

Alan Jenkins, who wrote 1/6: The Graphic Novel said we are currently in the midst of "a chilling moment for our democracy."

"The forces that drove the 2021 insurrection — disinformation, white nationalism, antisemitism, the resort to political violence — have only grown stronger in the years since January 6, 2021. But I’ve been heartened by the activism and courage of everyday people around the country," Jenkins said.

The novel paints a world in which the insurrectionists took control.

"It’s dystopic, to be sure, but also not far from reality; a country in which a re-installed Trump has declared martial law and deputized right-wing militias who roam the streets of major cities," Jenkins describes.

"There are humorous elements, like the golden statue of Trump or the renamed Clarence and Ginni Thomas federal office building, as well as darkly familiar elements like organized attacks on news operations."

According to Jenkins, Trump should never be able to hold office. The actions on Jan. 6 should disqualify him under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which he says "makes clear that Trump and others who took an oath to support the Constitution, then engaged in insurrection or gave 'aid or comfort' to those who did, cannot again hold such a position in our government."

Jenkins said Donald Trump should be tried based on the facts and the law, and should be, "Treated no better nor worse than anyone else in his position would be treated."

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"I think the courts have performed reasonably well so far in the era of Trump," Jenkins said. "I’ve agreed with some rulings and disagreed strongly with others, but our system of justice has largely maintained its integrity under tremendous pressure to do otherwise."

He added that there's no question in his mind that the same groups that participated in Jan 6 are gearing up to do the same thing again — only the next time they plan to be more effective.

"Many of the militia leaders like Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keeper Stewart Rhodes are serving long prison sentences, but their organizations and movements persist. Even more ominously, over 150 election deniers were elected or reelected to Congress in 2022, and many honorable state and local election officials — people of both parties who helped save our democracy in 2020 — have been hounded from office by Trump loyalists," he said.

Read the full interview over at Salon.