Truth, lies, and insurrection. How falsehood shakes democracy.

In the early morning hours of Nov. 4, 2020, President Donald Trump told possibly the most consequential falsehood of his life.

The lie was that he had been reelected by American voters to a second term, despite tens of millions of votes still outstanding and rapidly narrowing margins in key states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania.

“Frankly, we did win this election. We did win this election,” he said.

The president had paved the way for this lie with others, saying for months that mail-in voting was rife with fraud and that he would only lose if Democrats stole the election. He solidified it in the months following Election Day, repeating and honing his words, convincing legions of supporters that they needed to help him “stop the steal.”

What happened on Jan. 6 and in the days that followed spun directly out of the original falsity and