Podcast Summary:

The Jim Acosta Show – "Reclaiming Democracy: Jan. 6th, 5 Years Later"
Air Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Jim Acosta
Guests: Adam Kinzinger, Heather Cox Richardson, Michael Fanone, Harry Dunn, Olivia Troye, Miles Taylor, Glenn Kirschner, Aquilino Gonell, Daniel Hodges
Location: National Press Club, Washington, D.C.

Episode Overview

Marking the 5-year anniversary of January 6th, this special episode of The Jim Acosta Show brings together frontline Capitol defenders, key investigators, and democracy advocates to reflect on the attack, assess America's current challenges, and chart a path forward. With frank discussion and emotional testimony, the guests sound the alarm about ongoing threats, the erosion of accountability, and the urgent need to “reclaim democracy.” Notable themes include the struggle against lies and revisionism, the reality of trauma and betrayal, the call for organized resistance, and strategies to restore American legal and democratic norms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Firsthand Accounts from Jan. 6 Defenders

• Testimonies of Violence and Survival

  • Officers Michael Fanone, Harry Dunn, Aquilino Gonell, and Daniel Hodges recount brutal violence, near-death experiences, lasting injuries, and psychological scars from the insurrection.
    • Michael Fanone: “They ripped off my badge…began to beat me… heard chanting from some in the crowd, ‘get his gun and kill him with his own gun.’” (14:21)
    • Gonell: “...no matter how many pardons or whitewashing the White House does… it will never take the scars out of my body.” (30:32)
    • Hodges notes the surreal progression: “January 6th feels kind of quaint now… we're in the beginning stages of ethnic cleansing at home… But it’s still relevant. I think it was the last point Trump thought he might face some form of accountability.” (34:54)

• Camaraderie & Isolation

  • Officers describe trauma-bonding, finding meaning in their fight, and feeling isolated or abandoned by their institutions and, at times, the public.
    • Dunn: “It’s encouraging, it’s infectious… But I found purpose, right. When I first spoke, it was about accountability… Now, the mission is push back against these lies. Do not let them rewrite what happened that day.” (26:35–29:33)

2. The Battle Over Accountability and Truth

• White House, Supreme Court, and Pardons

  • Jim Acosta and guests excoriate the continuing revisionism, Trump’s pardons of January 6th rioters, and what they see as the Supreme Court’s abdication (“gave Trump a blank check”).
    • Adam Kinzinger: “I know in four or five years nobody will admit they ever supported this guy and I really believe that.” (18:57)
    • Fanone: "The Department of Justice developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Donald Trump orchestrated, funded, and then incited an insurrection against our government… for the kids at home, that’s treason." (22:47)
    • Gonell: "He turned his back. It’s a betrayal on the law enforcement community… and to democracy.” (32:01)

• Historical Parallels

  • Fanone and historian Heather Cox Richardson draw lines from January 6th to the failures of Reconstruction and the Civil War.
    • Fanone: “I remember learning… how we compromised with the Confederates and we allowed them to hold office once again. And I think we’re paying for those sins today...” (22:47)
    • HCR: “The Confederate battle flag flew in the United States Capitol... Under Donald Trump, the Confederates stormed the White House. That I’ve never been able to get over.” (62:20)
    • HCR: “...it’s just a continuation of the Civil War. We’re going to have to make sure... that idea of minority rule is completely crushed in the United States of America.” (64:27)

3. Fighting for Democracy in an Authoritarian Era

• Organizing & Engagement vs. Fatigue

  • The fight is not just legal but cultural and psychological.
    • Olivia Troye: “Authoritarianism thrives on fatigue. That is why... you keep showing up, no matter how tired you are… they want you to give up.” (88:34–90:20)
    • Adam Kinzinger: “Our battle for the next year and three years is to make sure that more of us stay engaged than them. That’s what we have to do.” (37:59)
    • Miles Taylor: “There was a literal day where my wife said the word defiance… it was like magic… We should be fighting back. And we launched this thing, defiance.org…” (119:05)

• Need for Ruthless Accountability in Politics

  • Fanone stresses the importance of going beyond symbolic wins.
    • “I’m fighting against Republican Party, which has become the party of insurrection. I’m fighting against the Democratic Party because they’re a bunch of pussies. It’s not enough for me… I want somebody who is going to punish those that ransacked our capital and ransacked our Constitution.” (39:20)
    • Kirschner: “With accountability, all things are possible. Without accountability, you get Donald fucking Trump.” (86:23)

4. Legislative and Practical Solutions

• Legislation & De-Trumpification

  • Discussion of possible legal reforms to bar insurrectionists from holding office, similar to de-Nazification after WWII or “de-Baathification” post-Saddam Iraq.
    • Gonell: “...we need to do that here once Donald Trump leaves and purge those people who were placed for political reason and restore the career people into the service…” (56:29)
    • Mention of Senator Padilla’s bill—no January 6th rioters to receive settlements, compensation, restitution, or federal jobs. (57:14)

• Massive Mobilization in Elections

  • Adam Kinzinger: “We’re going to just have to kick their ass. It’s going to have to be a blue wave… 70 or 80 seats and hopefully putting the Senate in play.” (42:04)

5. The Role of Independent Media

• Heather Cox Richardson and Jim Acosta emphasize the demise of corporate media’s independence (“There’s a corporation that has a media wing”) and the hope found in reader-supported media for preserving truth, accountability, and civic engagement.
  • HCR: “When I write, I’m trying to empower Americans… to make good decisions about their lives… There’s a reason that independent media is taking off… because you can’t trust CBS if they’re going to pull 60 Minutes because they don’t like the way it represented the Trump administration.” (76:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“They ripped off my badge…they began to beat me… heard chanting from some in the crowd: ‘get his gun and kill him with his own gun.’”
– Michael Fanone (14:21)

“No matter how many pardons or whitewashing... it will never take the scars out of my body.”
– Aquilino Gonell (30:32)

“...this is just a continuation of the fight that began that day.”
– Michael Fanone (22:47)

“January 6th feels kind of quaint now... but it was the last point where Trump thought he might face some form of accountability for all the horrors that he's brought... He's never faced any accountability...”
– Daniel Hodges (34:54)

“With accountability, all things are possible. Without accountability, you get Donald fucking Trump.”
– Glenn Kirschner (86:23)

“Don't give in to the lies. Don't give into fear. Hold on to the truth and hope.”
– Jim Acosta (end, 121:51)

“I say you do, because I think in being in government for so long... you kind of assume that courage belongs to someone else. You keep waiting for someone else to take a stand... you can't outsource courage. You have to hold it from within.”
– Olivia Troye (110:57–113:40)

“Authoritarianism thrives on fatigue.”
– Olivia Troye (90:20)

“There's more of us than there are of them, and we have to remind ourselves of that.”
– Tara Setmayer (99:14)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 08:05 – 15:12 | Officers recount January 6th, scenes of violence, confusion, and survival
• 15:12 – 18:57 | Jim Acosta's opening, welcoming guests, setting the stakes for democracy
• 18:57 – 22:07 | Adam Kinzinger on political lies and the legacy of the Jan. 6 Committee
• 22:47 – 29:33 | Michael Fanone & Harry Dunn on trauma, purpose, accountability, and truth
• 30:32 – 34:54 | Aquilino Gonell and Daniel Hodges on injuries, betrayal, and political realities
• 36:00 – 39:20 | Kinzinger, Fanone: Electoral accountability, hope, and sustained engagement
• 46:47 – 53:03 | Gonell & Hodges: Personal recovery, internet sleuthing, ongoing threats
• 60:57 – 67:42 | Heather Cox Richardson: The meaning of Jan. 6th, historical parallels, American will
• 68:24 – 79:32 | HCR & Acosta: Reclaiming democracy, levers of power, importance of media
• 81:00 – 84:58 | Robert De Niro's statement (read by Acosta): On the insurrection, pardons, truth
• 85:02 – 121:51 | Panel: Kirschner, Troye, Taylor, Setmayer on legal strategies, resistance, hope, generational engagement, emotional fuel for the fight

Tone & Atmosphere

The conversation is candid, raw, occasionally profane, and deeply emotional, matching the gravity of the anniversary. Speakers are adamant about refusing to sugarcoat the threats, and the atmosphere oscillates between somber recollection, comic relief, righteous anger, and steely resolve. The tone remains accessible—even when discussing legal or policy minutiae—and repeatedly circles back to the resilience and shared responsibility of “We the People.”

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a living oral history from those who stood on the literal and metaphorical front lines of the assault on American democracy. It’s an unvarnished call for honesty, memory, and continued defiance in the face of lies, intimidation, and democratic erosion. The guests express urgency, but also hope, rooted in solidarity and the resolve of both prominent and ordinary Americans to continue the “long arc toward justice.” For those seeking to understand not just what happened, but why it still matters—and what must come next—this episode is urgent listening.