During the disputes following the 2000 election, I saw people claim that the election had made the US a laughing stock around the world. I pointed out that there were a number of countries where an election like that would have been resolved by one side leading troops and tanks into the capital, so there was really nothing to laugh about. At least we're still not at that level. Yet.
I think you probably don't realise how bloody close to that you got.
Trump was very busy in the few weeks before Jan 6 installing his own sycophants and lackeys into the hierarchy of the Pentagon, in places where he would have a better chance of getting control of the military. I shudder to think what might have happened if he had taken the next two logical steps.
1. Firing Mark Milley and installing a Trump-friendly Flag Officer as head of the Joint Chiefs.
2. Firing Jeffrey Rosen and Richard O'Donohue as acting and deputy acting AG respectively, and appointing Jeffrey Clark, who had written to the AG Rosen and insisted he announce the DoJ was investigating massive election fraud.
Trump just didn't have enough time, intelligence or wherewithal to get the job done... But he and his fellow wannabe seditionists have now created the blueprint, and unless there are some severe consequences for those people involved, they will simply regard it as a dress rehearsal to shake out the flaws. The won't make the same mistakes next time, and even if its not Trump, if they get someone who is really smart, such as Josh Hawley, into the presidency, you can kiss your democracy goodbye.
Josh Hawley scares the **** out of me. Whereas others of his ilk such as Taylor-Greene, Boebert, Gosar and Cawthorne are just dumb-**** carnival barkers, Hawley is the real deal - he's smart, intelligent and well educated - he is also a genuine right-wing, ultra-conservative scumbag... and that is a very, very dangerous combination!