Five years after becoming one of the most recognizable faces of the January 6 Capitol assault, Jake Angeli, widely known as the “QAnon Shaman,” is attempting to recast his political identity. Once a fervent supporter of Donald Trump, Angeli has now announced plans to run for governor of Arizona as an independent, while publicly distancing himself from the president he once championed.
Angeli first drew global attention on January 6, 2021, when he entered the US Capitol shirtless, his face painted red, white, and blue, wearing a headdress with bison horns. Amid the chaos, he reached the Senate chamber, briefly sat in the seat vacated by Vice President Mike Pence, and led a prayer through a megaphone as Congress attempted to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.
The images quickly became emblematic of the insurrection. The legal consequences followed swiftly. Angeli, also known as Jacob Chansley, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the attack. He served 27 months before being released in early 2023 due to good behavior. On January 20 of the following year, Trump issued a sweeping pardon that included Angeli and roughly 1,500 others charged or convicted in connection with the Capitol breach.
During court proceedings, Angeli’s defense emphasized longstanding psychological issues, supported by previous clinical evaluations. Now 38, Angeli claims to have broken decisively with Trump. He accuses the president of abandoning anti-interventionist promises and governing in line with the political elite that the MAGA movement once claimed to oppose.
In an interview with The Times, Angeli dismissed his earlier activism as a failure and said: “Since I’m one of the only people that seem to have their wits about them and understand what’s actually going on in the world, it is up to me, as far as I’m concerned, to do something about these problems.”
His bid for Arizona governor remains uncertain. In previous attempts, Angeli failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Still, his ambitions have been expansive. In recent months, he filed a civil lawsuit seeking $40 trillion, asserting without evidence that he is the legitimate president of the United States and could erase the national debt through an extraordinary financial maneuver.
Observers see less of a coherent political platform than a continuation of his radical anti-establishment worldview. Angeli is not alone. Five years after January 6, several participants have explored roles in public office, underscoring that political radicalization did not end with convictions. According to the Department of Justice, more than 1,200 individuals were charged in connection with the attack.
Meanwhile, House Democrats have convened public hearings to counter what they call a sanitized narrative of the Capitol assault following the pardons. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said the effort is meant to document the real consequences of the violence and highlight ongoing public safety concerns tied to the release of those convicted.
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