The Donald Trump Docuseries “Unprecedented” sheds new light on the Trump 2020 campaign and relationships in the family as well as the Jan. 6 insurrection – but didn’t provide bombshells about the Jan. 6 insurrection beyond what was revealed in Congressional hearings.
The docuseries revealed the position of Trump family members in the power hierarchy (Don Jr wins) and the reasons Trump chose aggressive strategies even when offered the chance to pivot.
In June, Holder’s footage was subpoenaed by the House panel investigating Jan. 6, which had unusual access to Trump and his coterie of advisors, children and top officials.
The clip that made it to the committee includes Trump calling Jan. 6 “a sad day.” “People went to Washington primarily because they were angry with an election they think was rigged,”He said it in the footage.
In another video, Mike Pence, ex-Vice President, receives an email containing a draft resolution of Congress asking him to remove Trump from office via the 25th Amendment. He read the email from his phone and said, “excellent”Asks for help from a staff member “print me off a hard copy for the trip home.”
Aside from these interviews, Holder’s docuseries does not reveal wildly new information, instead providing insights into the Trump family and campaign alongside expert analysis of the journey from fall 2019 to the Jan 6. insurrection.
Discovery+ made the three-episode Alex Holder documentary available to the public on Sunday morning. Take a look at seven of our top takeaways from this docuseries.
1. During the 2020 campaign, the Trump children were an integral part of the Trump brand as an extension.
Its first episode is titled “The Roar,” the documentary shed light on strategies using Ivanka, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. to appeal to various parts of Trump’s fanbase during the 2020 campaign.
Ivanka was an icon of class, as well as her elite connections. Ivanka’s fans call her a “classy” woman. “princess,” Eric stood as a key part of the campaign’s stance on economics while Don Jr. appealed to followers who adored shooting, the outdoors and conspiracy theories.
“Part of Trump, the brand, is the multi-generational family,” The Washington Post’sMarc Fisher. “And so his children were brought up from the very beginning to be a living representation of that model. They were groomed to be that way, and they naturally took it upon themselves to be that way to win their father’s attention and love.”
2. Trump’s airlift to Walter Reed Memorial Hospital kickstarted “Operation MAGA”
Following Trump’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis and his helicopter airlift to Walter Reed Memorial Hospital, the 2020 campaign launched Operation MAGA, which brought even more Trump family on board, including Lara Trump (Eric Trump’s wife) and Tiffany Trump.
The outpouring of family support was aimed to offset concerns about Trump’s health as he recovered from coronavirus.
“This is a president obsessed with optics and with image,” The Washington Post’sPhilip Rucker “And if he did not absolutely need to be airlifted to the hospital, he never would have permitted those helicopters to take him to the hospital because its the ultimate show of weakness.”
3. Donald Trump Jr.’s rebellion from his father made him a valuable asset in the Trump campaign
Trump Jr. rebelled against the father he loved, and he began to take on “a persona and interests that violated core definitions of Trumpism,”Fisher. “Trump loves golf, Don stayed away from golf and took up hunting,”The Atlantic’sMcKay Coppins and Fisher adding that Trump thought “the whole gun thing”This was for “losers.”
This rebellion, however, appealed to a large sect of Trump supporters who shared Trump Jr.’s love for shooting and the outdoors.
“What’s ironic is that what made Don Jr. such a valuable asset on the campaign trail is actually what embarrassed Donald Trump about him for most of his life,”Coppins.
4. Trump’s positive COVID diagnosis was an opportunity to shift views on the pandemic — that he did not take
According to The New York Times‘ Peter Baker, Trump’s advisors thought that the former President’s COVID diagnosis and recovery could be used as a “pivot to reposition himself on the pandemic.”
“But he wouldn’t do it,” Baker continued. “Rather than pivoting toward a softer, more empathetic President, he came out guns blazing, and into a much more Trumpian, Gatling gun approach to the campaign.”
5. Trump believes that he should have access to Twitter, Facebook
The former President called the social media leaders after Trump was removed from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram following the January 6th insurrection. “thugs”He insisted that he be allowed to post messages on the platforms.
“It’s a shame what Twitter did, and what Facebook did,”Trump: “That’s what they do. These people are thugs. They allow other people to be on who are horrific people. I’m not a horrific person. I have a big voice. I have a voice that had hundreds of millions of people listening.”
6. January 6th was a “revolutionary act”
Interview with experts “Unprecedented”Analyze the language and memory from January 6, 2021. Then, call the day a “revolutionary act.”
“The terminology around January 6 has been sort of watered down over time, talking about it as a riot or as an insurrection,”Fisher: “And those are perfectly good words, they capture a piece of it. But they don’t capture the extent to which this was a revolutionary act or an act of treason.”
“It was an extreme thing that happened,”Tess Owens reports for Vice News on extremism. However, Owens believes that the way that the emotional energy of the crowd and of many “normal Trump supporters”It is worth further discussion.
7. Donald Trump Jr. would be the most well-suited heir — if Trump decides to give up the crown
As the Trump dynasty looks ahead to 2024 and beyond, Donald Trump Jr. arises as the child most likely to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“[Ivanka is] polished, she has elite connections. She’s still the one who has her father’s approval,”Coppins. “But it’s Don who has the connection to Trump’s political base, who has the inside track at this point.”
Trump Jr. answered when asked if he thought he could run for president. “I have no plans about it. I’ll stay involved in politics. I don’t know if I want to run as a candidate.”
However, despite this newfound respect for his son’s loyalty, Fisher reminds audiences that “Trump, the brand, is about Donald Trump. And there’s no way on Earth that he would step aside to allow one of them to take center stage.”
As for Trump’s plans for 2024, he noted his “tremendous base,” saying, “Every poll says I gotta run, I gotta run. But I’ll be making a decision in the not-too-distant future, and stay tuned.”