The American public isn’t unhappy with them, though. Republicans are at worst annoyed and the large segment of non-voting/non-political people aren’t invested either way. It’s Democrats who are unhappy with them, but they already knew that.
then, and only then, will it sink in: it wasn’t worth it, and they wasted whatever platform they thought they built
If this comes to pass it still has nothing to do with “scaring the rest of MAGA straight.” At best you’ll have these assholes crying into their pillow in prison, forgotten by any significant movement outside.
Then there’s the possibility that they never get pardoned but become martyrs/celebrities on the right (already happening), or the possibility that Trump wins in 2024 and they do get pardoned. Again, nothing here to dissuade the broader MAGA movement.