WASHINGTON – “This is my Super Bowl,” an off-camera news presenter said during public hearings held by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. But what a Super Bowl without stars, or even fans, I thought. Former President Donald J. Trump and his family would certainly not show up in person. Neither would Rudolph W. Giuliani, once his personal lawyer and former mayor of New York City, nor anyone else who was recognizable to anyone but a great politician.
And unlike last month’s defamation trial involving Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard, in which the public’s passion for celebrity salty gossip was unmistakable, avid fans didn’t seem to be lined up to cheer or protest. .
Outside the building, Washington seemed unperturbed. Too many coordinated colored schoolchildren went from monument to monument, oscillating between wonder and boredom.
Sweaty, white-collared men, jackets tucked into the folds of their elbows, walked between the meetings and the Hyatt.
And an ice cream vendor fed hot tourists and hungry pigeons.
But inside the Capitol, television crews, journalists, and photographers were already ready.
Journalists stayed for hours in the halls of the Cannon House office building, ready to sprint, with iPhones outstretched, after committee members.
Photographers pointed their lenses through the cracks in the doors, hoping to catch a rare, unmanaged moment.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, working on a segment of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” surrounded the Capitol Roundabout making raw jokes and making impressions of Mr. Trump. The puppet (or, more accurately, his master, Robert Smigel) was later arrested by Capitol police and charged with illegal entry.
Some members of the media seemed nostalgic for the turbulent days of the Trump administration. The nature of adherence to the script of President Biden’s tenure has not elicited the same passions or assessments.
“This is the biggest event we’ve had in a long time,” one photographer said.
The hearings were handled in part by a veteran television executive, hired to capture the attention of Americans tired of two dismissal trials and countless breaking news banners. But Fox News refused to show an audience during prime time. (He later decided to broadcast the daytime sessions, which did not conflict with his iconic opinion programs).
Washington has had its share of political spectacle over the years, but this one felt both fascinating and a little disappointing. People who were always paying attention were surrounded by coverage, but the other side simply switched channels.
Walking outside the Capitol, I saw a German tourist in Fred Perry’s famous black and yellow shirt, the Proud Boys ’uniform. Seemingly unaware of its symbolism, he smiled widely at a photo with the Capitol in the background.
I had no heart to tell him.