Trump-fueled violence is not over. Now is not the time to let our guard down.

A planned rally of right-wing extremists protesting the treatment of Jan. 6 insurrectionists fizzled this past weekend with little fanfare. Just a couple of hundred protesters showed up with the news media and law enforcement officers easily outnumbering them.

Coverage of the event labeled it a “dud,” while others criticized journalists for giving it extended airtime. And while the "Justice for J6" rally avoided the violence of its namesake and was organized by a man seemingly more suited for an episode of "Veep," we cannot let our guard down and assume that the worst of Trump-fueled violence is behind us.

In August, a man was arrested after making a bomb threat near the U.S. Capitol. Just over a week ago, another man was caught near Democratic National Committee headquarters with a bayonet, a machete and neo-Nazi paraphernalia. These incidents come as hate crimes, especially those targeting Black and Asian people, have hit a 12-year high in the United States.

Violence from the American right

We’re at an inflection point in our society where, after four years of a president enabling white supremacy and the worst instincts of white America, perpetrators of right-wing violence feel more justified in their cause than ever before.

This is coupled with a Republican Party that is mostly unwilling to condemn violent insurrectionists or deescalate their dangerous rhetoric.

The same factors that led to the Jan. 6 riot – rampant disinformation on social media and Fox News, nationalist provocateurs and white victimhood – still exist and will only become more pronounced the closer we get to the 2022 and 2024 elections.

The Republican Party has exchanged policies and substance for conspiracy theories and lies. The result is even when Republicans fail or lose, they are able to produce a steady stream of excuses to explain why things turned out a certain way: When they lose elections, it’s because the election is rigged. When a rally has a paltry turnout, it’s because other forces are sabotaging them.

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Case in point, just two days before Saturday's planned event, Donald Trump labeled the rally a "setup," giving his supporters an out for lackluster participation and turnout.

In the run-up to last week's California recall election, Fox News host Tomi Lahren moronically declared that the “only thing” that would save Gov. Gavin Newsom is "voter fraud."

Rising violence threatens our future

Whatever the event or occasion, the playbook never changes. When the entire ideological core of a political party is rooted in a toxic combination of superiority and conspiracy theory, there is no such thing as rock bottom; it is an endless pit that goes deeper and deeper into the extreme with every passing day.

Just last week, three tourists from Texas attacked a hostess at a New York City restaurant for asking for proof of vaccination.

Parents are assaulting teachers over mask mandates. A Republican congressional candidate in Pennsylvania advocated for the forced removal of school board members who attempted to enact mask mandates.

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That’s what makes the Republican Party so dangerous. You can reason with people who have core values. You can discuss and debate public policy with people who accept the world as it is. But today’s GOP has patterned itself after extreme and radical factions. Despots who are intent on normalizing violence to achieve their political objectives.

This disease won’t always manifest itself in large acts of terror the way it did on Jan. 6, but it is resulting in more and more violence.

Kurt Bardella is a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors and an adviser to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). He is a former spokesperson and senior adviser for Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Follow him on Twitter: @KurtBardella

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump will continue to inspire violence and protests from Republicans