What Does a “Coup Attempt” in the US Actually Mean?

Here’s what you need to know.

If you’ve been watching the news or scrolling down your social media feeds at all today, you will have come across a lot of headlines about violent riots taking place at the US Capitol building.

It’s likely that you’ve seen or heard the word ‘coup’ or even ‘coup d’état’ being used by the media. If you’re wondering what it means, you’re definitely not the only one. After all, it’s not a word we hear on the regular.

In fact, Merriam-Webster tweeted that the most searched terms earlier this morning were sedition, coup d’état, coup, fascism, capitol, breach, insurrection, racism, treason, anarchy, putsch, terrorism and riot.

With that in mind, let’s break down what a coup is and how it applies to the events unfolding in the US.

So, how did this all start?

The US Capitol—which is the meeting place of the US Congress—was locked down after supporters of US President Donald Trump clashed with police and stormed the building.

Earlier today, the US Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the November election, with more than 100 Republican Congress members vowing to object to the results in numerous states.

However, while that was happening, Trump delivered a nearly two-hour speech to thousands of demonstrators, where he repeatedly claimed the election had been stolen from him. During the speech, he urged his supporters to storm the Capitol.

From there, the demonstrators breached the Capitol building. As reported by the ABC, rioters smashed windows, looted chambers and invaded lawmakers' offices. 

Protestors bypassed security and metal detectors and entered the Capitol building, where they could be seen marching through Statuary Hall waving American flags and Trump banners.

As a result, the electoral count was put on hold, and Congressmen and women were moved to secure locations.

According to The New York Times, a pipe bomb was also found at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington. Furthermore, one woman has been shot dead by police and three other people have died in medical emergencies.

Okay, so why is it being called a coup attempt?

Some reports have used the words ‘coup attempt’ to describe what has transpired in the US Capitol building.

So, what does that mean? Well, the Coup D’état Project at the University of Illinois’ Cline Centre for Democracy defines a coup as “the sudden and irregular (i.e., illegal or extra-legal) removal, or displacement, of the executive authority of an independent government”.

Basically, it’s the forced removal of an existing government, generally through violent measures.

On the other hand, sedition is defined by the Cambridge dictionary as “language or behaviour that is intended to persuade other people to oppose their government”.

“This is a coup d’état attempted by the President of the United States,” author and presidential expert Michael Beschloss tweeted.

According to studies published in the Journal of Peace Research, a coup is deemed successful if the perpetrators seize and hold power for at least seven days.

Trump told the demonstrators to “go home” via video message but also repeated false claims that he won the election by a landslide.

Will there be repercussions for Trump?

At this stage, it’s too soon to say. However, some democrats and republicans are calling for Trump to be removed from office before Biden is sworn in.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called to ‘impeach’ Trump in a tweet (we have a whole explainer on what impeachment is here), while even fellow republican Phil Scott has asked him to resign.

Additionally, people are calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, which allows an orderly transfer of power if the president can’t execute his duties. It’s intended to apply when a president is incapacitated by physical or mental illness.

Earlier today, social media giants Twitter and Facebook also blocked Trump after he tweeted to supporters attacking the US Capitol.

Congress has now formally validated Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. Biden defeated Trump by 306-232 electoral votes and will be inaugurated on 20 January. 

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