What I Learned Retracing the Footsteps of the Capitol Rioters

Standing on the Ellipse, between the White House and the Washington Monument, I heard President Donald Trump deliver his fiery address. “You’re never going to take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong,” he said to the crowd, claiming that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him. I could see men climbing the trees around the park, dressed in fatigues with Glocks at their side, as I heard security announcements prohibiting backpacks, chairs, and flagpoles play over the loudspeakers. When Rudy Giuliani took the podium, I heard him say, “Let’s have trial by combat,” and the crowd roared.

I heard people chant “USA! USA!” as I marched down Pennsylvania Avenue, past the Department of Justice. I even heard Jacob Chansley, now infamously known as the “QAnon Shaman,” roar, “FREEDOM!” as we approached the steps of the Capitol.

I wasn’t at the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. I was at a $40, three-hour Airbnb “experience” that promised to deliver the “definitive walking tour of the conspiracy and national security event of our lifetimes.”