Trump's attempted coup was unique

Sam Smith - Something that gets lost in reporting and talk about Trump's attempted coup is that we have no precedent for it in American history. This is the first time an illegal significant takeover of the American government has been attempted on behalf an individual. Even the Civil War was about succession from the north not replacing it. 

One of the hazards in the media's caution in handling this story is that the public does not get to appreciate how unique and threatening Trump's efforts were. It's not just a matter of what sort of phone he used but what he was trying to do. For example, the Oxford dictionary defines treason as the crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government. We should at least be talking about whether Trump's actions were treasonous or not.