Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.
A couple of things become clear from that statement:
- Trump never thought it was ANTIFA. ANTIFA was the ruse to disassociate himself from what was happening. So the President of the United States, knowing the Capitol is under attack, chooses to blame a group he knows is not responsible. The only possible explanation is that the President wants to deflect blame from the real culprits.
- Trump never says that what they are doing is wrong. He says they are more upset. He knows that their rage is his last chance to hold on to power.
The President's answer was what he did, or more precisely, what he did not do. He did not call the Capitol Police, the Defense Department or the National Guard. He did nothing to protect his loyal lieutenant.
El Presidente was not going to call off a coup happening in his name.
For anyone who has watched the deconstruction of democratic norms under Trump, none of the above is surprising, but given the knowledge of this specific conversation, the idea of McCarthy going to Mar a Lago to kiss the ring was a spectacularly craven display of obsequious fealty.
The conversation and its aftermath show Trump's sympathy for the coup attempted in his name, and McCarthy's acceptance of this as the status quo.