On February 5, 2020, President Donald Trump was acquitted by the US Senate of abusing his power and obstructing Congress. He had previously been impeached by the House of Representatives. This sequence of events made him the third US President to be impeached and subsequently cleared of all charges. As of now, no President of the United States has been removed from office through impeachment.
In many ways, this was an expected outcome. In a Republican-controlled Senate, Democrats getting the two-thirds majority required to remove Trump from office was extremely unlikely. The impeachment process has certainly exacerbated tensions between the two dominant political parties and sharpened the divisions that were already present in the US political system. In fact, the votes for both articles of impeachment aligned almost exactly with party lines. The only exception was Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who chose to stand with the Democrats and vote to impeach on the charge of abuse of power. He was promptly attacked by his own party for this decision, and praised by Democrats for his bravery. According to top Democrats, a number of Republicans in the Senate wanted to vote against Trump, but shied away for fear of harsh backlash akin to that which Romney received. These allegations can of course be taken with a grain of salt, as this impeachment trial was clearly rife with partisan tension.
The trial of President Trump has been widely criticized as unfair because there were no witnesses presented, as decided in a 51-49 Senate vote. Some prominent politicians have even gone so far as to say Trump has not been acquitted yet because there was no proper trial. Democrat Adam Schiff stated, “Rob this country of a fair trial and there can be no representation that the verdict has any meaning.” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi agreed, describing the President as “impeached forever” and “not vindicated.”
In the aftermath of the trial, Nancy Pelosi dramatically ripped up a copy of Trump’s State of the Union speech, symbolizing the sheer amount of bitter resentment along partisan lines that had built up during the impeachment process. She was lauded by Democrats and scolded by Republicans for this action, which she justified by explaining that “almost every page had something in it that was objectionable.”
It has been speculated that Trump’s reelection campaign will be strengthened by this verdict. Already, he and his campaign managers have been using this outcome to establish the idea of Trump’s innocence and claim vindication. He seems to be rallying his supporters by convincing them that the Democratic Party is out to get him and all those associated with him. Trump has frequently characterized the proceedings against him as a “witch hunt,” and this vote was exactly what he needed to assert his innocence and complete his portrayal of himself and his supporters as victims. Trump is the first impeached President to seek reelection, and it doesn’t seem that impeachment proceedings have substantially damaged his base of support. Of course, moderates voting in November could be more inclined towards the Democratic nominee, swayed by the fact that the incumbent was even accused of such serious crimes as abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Impeachment is a bitter, divisive process that leaves our country perhaps more fractured than before. However, a crucial element of our democracy is that the American people have the ability to either protect the authority of a righteous leader or bring a corrupt one to justice. Hopefully, this country will make a decision that is in its best interest. Above all the lies, obfuscation, fighting, and confusion, one thing is clear: this November will be an important one.