Donald Trump and Republicans want to downplay Jan. 6. It's going to be a big issue anyway.

WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump and his Republican primary rivals will campaign this weekend while downplaying the anniversary of an event that haunts the GOP all year: the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

While Trump seeks to rally Republicans who are mad about criticisms of Jan. 6, opponents like Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis say the fallout from the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol − including criminal indictments for Trump − will hurt Republicans in the general election if they nominate Trump again.

"A 2024 election, where the Democrats get to run against a candidate that is going through all this stuff − that is going to give the Democrats an advantage," DeSantis said during a CNN town hall this week.

In a separate town hall, Haley said of Trump: "The reality is, rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him and we all know that's true...And we can't have a country in disarray, and a world on fire, and go through four more years of chaos. We won't survive it."

'The whole thing is very unfair'

During a Friday rally in Iowa, Trump did not specifically say "January 6" or mention the anniversary, but he did defend the rioters by saying they were at the U.S. Capitol to "protest a rigged election."

"The whole thing is very unfair," Trump said.

Trump also joked twice about Jan. 6, telling people that he didn't want to encourage people to demonstrate because others might say "he incited an insurrection."

Biden makes Jan. 6 an issue

President Joe Biden and the Democrats made clear they plan to make Jan. 6 a major issue against Trump and his Republican allies, calling them a real and present danger to democracy.

In a speech staged in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, Biden said Trump and the "MAGA Republicans" would be more than willing to use force in the Jan. 6 manner in order to get their way.

"Democracy is on the ballot," Biden said. "Your freedom is on the ballot."

Trump and other Republicans have defended the Jan. 6 rioters − describing them as "patriots" and "hostages" − and derided authorities for their treatment of Jan. 6 defendants.

As Biden pointed out in his speech, Trump has during rallies played a recording of “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by jailed Jan. 6 rioters.

DeSantis said Jan. 6 has been "politicized by the left," but told the CNN town hall that Jan. 6 "was not a good day for the country."

Haley has derided Trump for calling Jan. 6 "a beautiful day." Back in May, she said in Iowa that "it was a terrible day, and we don’t ever want that to happen again."

Trump's J6 trials and tribulations

Trump will be grappling with the legal fallout from the Jan. 6 insurrection throughout the 2024 campaign year − and it could include prison sentences.

Two of Trump's four pending criminal trials involve conspiracy charges stemming from efforts to overturn Biden's victory in the 2020 election. There is a federal case against Trump in Washington, D.C., and a state case in Georgia.

In addition, officials in Colorado and Maine − and, perhaps, other states down the road − are trying to block Trump from the election ballot because of Jan. 6, citing the anti-insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The Supreme Court is expected to resolve the issue in the months ahead, and the justices announced Friday that they would take up the Colorado case.

In the meantime, Trump decries all of these legal actions as politically motivated "election interference."

The voters weigh in soon

The Iowa caucuses open the Republican nomination process on Jan. 15, followed by the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23.

If anything, Jan. 6 will help Trump with Republican voters.

According to polls, most Republicans do not think Jan. 6 was a big deal and largely absolve Trump of responsibility for the violent attempt to stop the electoral vote count.

But most Americans, including independent voters who decide elections, see Jan. 6 quite differently.

According to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll, more than 7 out of 10 Republicans believe too much is being made of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Meanwhile, 55% of Americans overall agree that Jan. 6 was “an attack on democracy that should never be forgotten," the poll said. That includes a majority of Democrats and independents.

Wary Republicans

In his CNN town hall, DeSantis said: "Whatever may be beneficial in the primary doesn't mean it's beneficial in the general election."

Haley, who worked for Trump as ambassador to the United States, said in her CNN town hall: "I used to tell him he is his own worst enemy."

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been the most outspoken critic of Trump. He says it plainly: The Republicans will lose if they nominate Trump again, given his legal and ethical baggage over Jan. 6.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump, GOP rivals try to avoid Jan. 6. Why it's a big issue in 2024