My dad stormed the capitol on January 6, 2021.

I (25f) have been trying to come to terms with my dad's (47m) political beliefs since his support for Trump in 2016. I had always thought he was a moderate man with decent values, but something shifted in 2016. <br><br>Over the years, he slowly became more and more extreme. <br><br>When Coronavirus hit, he refused to wear a mask or stay home. He thought the death tolls were inflated, believed the virus was a hoax, and he refused to let go of the idea that he was impervious to illness (he is obese, smokes cigarettes and chugs beer every night). <br><br>I begged him to take the virus seriously, I called him and wrote him letters explaining my own experiences as a healthcare worker watching people die from the virus. I was worried I would get sick at work and bring it home to my vulnerable son. <br><br>My dad said I was naive and that I was falling for the "mainstream media's agenda". He said I was just trying to control him and that I was being a "bitch" and a "pussy". He told me that if I got sick, it was my fault.<br><br>On January 5, 2021, I called my dad to see how he was doing. He said he was going on a road trip to Maryland to visit some friends. I thought this was strange considering he lost his job in October and had no money, but I assumed maybe his "friends" were paying for everything. <br><br>On January 7th, I saw a video on Twitter of a sea of people waving Confederate flags and wearing "Make America Great Again" merchandise in the capitol's rotunda. I did a double-take when I saw my dad in the video.<br><br>He was grinning from ear to ear - and he was holding a gun. <br><br>More videos of him surfaced. I saw footage of him walking into the capitol, laughing, shouting "Let's go Brandon". He took photos with strangers while they both gave the thumbs up. <br><br>I was in disbelief and horror. I called him and asked him why he was there. He said he "did nothing wrong" and that "nothing happened and he just took photos and went home". He said "the capitol was empty and no one was there, Antifa set everything up and the media took photos before we got there". <br><br>I asked why he was armed and he said it was for "protection". <br><br>I lost it. I started screaming at him for radicalizing, for terrorizing, for taking an armed assault on the capitol. I screamed at him for refusing to take Coronavirus seriously but yet he had the gall to have an armed riot, maskless, and put hundreds of people at risk.<br><br>I cursed at him and called him a racist, a terrorist and a moron. <br><br>He called me a "Biden Bitch" and hung up on me. <br><br>I haven't spoken to him in years. I am still so deeply traumatized by his actions. I hope he gets his karma someday.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>EDIT: I did not know he was radicalized to this extent until AFTER January 6th. Please stop accusing me of knowing and not stopping him. I cut off my dad in 2016 when he wouldn't stop calling me a bitch and a whore for supporting Clinton.