Las Vegas has long been home to some of the world’s greatest magic acts. The pantheon of grand illusionists is famous for creating amazing feats of deception by making tigers, elephants and even jets vanish before your very eyes.

But that’s nothing compared to sleight-of-hand scam Donald Trump’s loyalists are hoping to pull off in 2024. They’re trying to make their role in the 2020 false electors’ scheme — and even the crimes of Jan. 6 itself — disappear like so much hocus-pocus.

If you think such attempted acts of political prestidigitation will be laughed off the stage by voters who see right through the trick, think again. From the look of Trump’s position in the polls, multiple indictments have done little to soften Republican support for him. In Nevada, many Republicans long ago suspended their sense of disbelief and continue to live in a world in which — all facts to the contrary — they were mysteriously robbed of victory in the 2020 presidential election due to widespread voter fraud.

Just to make sure the truth behind the trickery isn’t exposed, Trump’s trusty assistant, GOP Chairman Michael McDonald is keeping him in the spotlight with his very own special caucus Feb. 8 two days after the legally scheduled Republican primary. The cheap chicanery has caused Trump’s critics in the party to suspect the obvious, that the caucus is tailor-made for him. Nevada’s GOP delegates are practically in Trump’s pocket.

The fact the two-headed chaos makes the state GOP look like ham-handed political fixers clearly doesn’t bother McDonald and his fellow false electors. They’re monkeywrenching the entire state party system, what remains of it, in broad daylight. While winning the Nevada primary might be nice, only the winner of the caucus will receive delegates to the Republican National Convention.

You might think that Republican supporters of candidates not named Trump might be steaming over. They might be confused — maybe even enough to stay home. If they’re angry, they appear to be good at concealing their emotions. It’s just a suggestion, but maybe it’s time they dusted off their old “Stop the Steal” signs and put them to good use for a change.

Trump’s recent campaign visit to Reno was a reminder of what’s coming in 2024. Lying about the last election being stolen is his only move. The fact the rabbit he keeps pulling out of the hat has been dead for going on four years appears to matter not at all to his followers.

For his part, Trump took time to sprinkle his toxic pixie dust of grievance and remind those in attendance that McDonald wasn’t just an ethically bankrupt ex-cop who is currently under indictment, but a “tremendous man, tremendous guy, gets treated so unfairly and he loves this country and he loves this state.” Sure he does. Why else would he continue to lie about our election process? Love, just love for America and Nevada.

Call Trump and his sycophants a circus that never leaves town, but from the sound of Friday’s brief press availability led by Rep. Dina Titus, Democrats are taking them seriously. They have no intention of letting voters forget who was on the side of democracy on Jan. 6, 2021. In addition to being a popular campaign season talking point, it has the advantage of actually being true. As Nevada Democratic Party Vice Chairman Francisco Morales reminded reporters, “Trump still continues to push the Big Lie today, and it’s no secret that Nevada is the epicenter from which these lies continue to spread.”

Titus says, “At every level of government we are discussing that fateful day, which was a dark moment in our country’s history.” Despite indictments, arrests and convictions, the clouds have not parted.

From her seat in the House, Titus sees the MAGA agenda play out daily in the form of the obstruction of the basic legislative process. When the goal is to prevent the wheels of government from turning, the playbook is pretty simple. The hard part can be explaining the advantages of political paralysis to the folks back home who actually rely on the government and need it to be responsive in their lives.

On Friday, the congresswoman’s frustration was palpable. Although she allowed that not all Republicans in Congress identify as MAGA, and some are “rational people you can negotiate with,” Trump’s shadow over GOP politics is a long one. The result is, “They talk about the border, but they won’t come to the table. They talk about doing away with health care. … They won’t vote for infrastructure. It can’t get much more divisive than it already is. And I think just calling that attack on the Capitol divisive undermines the impact of it. It was more than divisive. This nation has been divided before during the ’60s, but you didn’t have an attack on the very foundation of our government.”

Whether these reminders will have an appreciable impact on voters remains to be seen, but expect the Democrats to continue to call out Trump’s cheap tricks all the way to Election Day.

John L. Smith is an author and longtime columnist. He was born in Henderson and his family’s Nevada roots go back to 1881. His stories have appeared in Time, Readers Digest, The Daily Beast, Reuters, Ruralite and Desert Companion, among others. He also offers weekly commentary on Nevada Public Radio station KNPR.