In the weeks leading up to yesterday’s inauguration of Joseph R. Biden as the 46th president of the United States, my inbox would routinely be filled with messages from self-styled “patriots” who demanded I retract my lies that Biden won and would become president. There was no chance, they insisted, that could happen — and instead he’d be arrested and frog-marched to a gulag somewhere. Some promised that I and my team would join him and Kamala Harris.
To those people today, I have two words: “I’m sorry.” I’m sorry that you were lied to by people you trusted. I’m sorry that you chose to adopt those lies wholesale and now are forced to reckon with those lies. I truly hope you find the peace and acceptance you sought in those dark fantasies.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.