In addition to pillow sales, The Big Lie soothes Trump’s ego, and has helped him raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Trump even used the occasion of Rush Limbaugh’s death last week to sell the lie once again. “The election was stolen,” he said on OANN. “We were robbed. It was a rigged election.” On Newsmax he said: “We did win the election, as far as I’m concerned. It was disgraceful what happened.” And on Fox News Channel he said, “You would have had riots going all over the place if that happened to a Democrat.” The Trump-friendly anchors at all three networks refused to push back; they just let him lie.

This will be a central theme later this week when Trump takes center stage at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) where 2020 election truthers will be peddling doubt at no fewer than seven panel discussions.

So what will become painfully clear by week’s end is that Trump plans to control the GOP, dominate the 2022 midterm campaign, and keep telling millions of Americans he won reelection in 2020. He will work hard to defeat anyone who defies him and counters his claims.