Following Capitol Attack, FRONTLINE Documentary Special Traces President Trump’s Incitement of Division, Violence and Ultimately Insurrection Throughout His Term

Trump’s American Carnage  Tues., Jan. 26, 2021 Streaming at 7/6c at pbs.org/frontline & in the PBS Video App Airing at 10/9c on PBS and on YouTube www.facebook.com/frontline | Twitter: @frontlinepbs Instagram: @frontlinepbs | YouTube: youtube.com/frontline

It was a sight that shook the world: Images of a violent pro-Trump mob storming the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the presidential election, threatening lawmakers’ lives, flying the Confederate flag in the building’s halls and erecting a gallows outside.

But the chaotic and deadly end of Donald Trump’s presidency was in many ways the inevitable result of four years of a president who stoked distrust, divison, anger and racism — and ultimately sought to undermine the election itself, with large swathes of his party echoing his claims.

How did American democracy reach this moment of crisis, and who is responsible?

In the new documentary special Trump’s American Carnage, FRONTLINE tells the inside story of how Trump’s presidency laid the groundwork for bitter division, violence and insurrection — and why many lawmakers went along with him in what one conservative commentator in the film calls a “Faustian bargain.”

“Our film identifies how, for years, the country’s political leaders missed, ignored and discounted clear warnings of the violence and chaos that was to come,” says FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk (America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump, Trump’s Takeover and United States of Conspiracy). With his team, Kirk has made more than 20 documentaries about the Trump and Obama eras, examining the growing divisions that led up to the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 and the ongoing fears around the country.

Tracing the path from Trump’s inaugural address, where the president famously vowed an end to what he called “American carnage,” to the violent siege of the Capitol, Trump’s American Carnage premieres Tues., Jan. 26, 2021 on PBS stations (check local listings) and will be available to stream on FRONTLINE’s website, YouTube and the PBS Video App.

Drawing on an extensive archive as well as new interviews, the film finds a direct line between Trump’s actions over four years and the insurrection that exploded at the Capitol. It tracks how, from his very first day in office, Trump tapped into the politics of grievance and waged war on his perceived enemies: the media, the Democrats and the establishment leadership of his own Republican party.

The documentary goes on to examine how Trump seized control of the Republican party, the high price that he extracted from GOP leaders and why the party now finds itself in the midst of conflict over its future.

As the Biden administration begins and Trump faces an unprecedented second impeachment trial, Trump’s American Carnage offers a powerful look at how the U.S. reached this volatile moment.

Trump’s American Carnage premieres Tues., Jan. 26, 2021 on PBS stations (check local listings) and will be available to stream on FRONTLINE’s website, YouTube and the PBS Video App.

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Credits

Trump’s American Carnage is a FRONTLINE production with Kirk Documentary Group, Ltd. The director is Michael Kirk. The producers are Michael Kirk, Mike Wiser, Jim Gilmore, Gabrielle Schonder and Philip Bennett. The writers are Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser. The reporters are Jim Gilmore and Gabrielle Schonder. The executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.

About FRONTLINE FRONTLINE, U.S. television’s longest running investigative documentary series, explores the issues of our times through powerful storytelling. FRONTLINE has won every major journalism and broadcasting award, including 95 Emmy Awards and 24 Peabody Awards. Visit pbs.org/frontline and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to learn more. FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; Park Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation; and Koo and Patricia Yuen.

FRONTLINE Press Contact: frontlinemedia@wgbh.org