Burlington Standard

Rep. Becca Balint, a U.S. Congress member representing Vermont's at-large district since 2023, shared her views on recent political events through a series of tweets. Balint, who succeeded Peter Welch in Congress and previously served in the Vermont Senate from 2017 to 2021, expressed her concerns about pardons issued by former President Trump, the influence of corporations in elections, and actions she perceives as nods to authoritarianism.

On January 21, 2025, Rep. Becca Balint tweeted about actions taken by former President Donald Trump on his first day back in office. She stated: "On his first day in office, Trump pardoned 1,500 people who broke into the Capitol, smashed windows, and brutally attacked police officers with flagpoles." Balint emphasized that these pardons do not alter the events of January 6, 2021: "The pardons will never change what happened on January 6, 2021. It was domestic terrorism fueled by Trump's lies and scams."

Later that day, Balint addressed the impact of corporate influence on elections. In her tweet posted at 21:47 UTC on January 21st, she remarked: "It's been 15 years since the Supreme Court decided that corporations can buy elections." She further claimed this decision enabled billionaires like Elon Musk to exert significant influence over the outcome of the 2024 election: "This decision made it possible for Elon Musk and other billionaires to buy the 2024 election and now have a stronger voice in government than the American people." Concluding with a call to action: "End Citizens United."

In another tweet posted at 22:37 UTC on January 21st, Balint commented on an event she described as indicative of rising authoritarianism. She tweeted: "This is what it looks like to slide toward authoritarianism." Describing an incident involving a salute she interpreted as Nazi symbolism: "It was a Heil Hitler Nazi salute that he did not once but twice." Emphasizing her view that this act was deliberate: "It was not a mistake; in fact it was a shameless nod at Nazism." She urged vigilance against such actions being overlooked.