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The US Senate concluded the impeachment proceedings of former President Donald Trump, which lasted over five days.
The final decision was in line with expectations. Not to convict Trump of “incitement to revolt” that was brought against him after his supporters stormed the Congress building last month.
And this added a fourth trial to the record of presidential trials in American history. The latter is the shortest term.
However, the consequences of this trial will compensate for its short duration; There is a former president who has taken the impeachment process in Congress twice in a precedent, and there is distortion and polishing – the stage has been set in preparation for future political battles.
We shed light on major figures who have appeared in this scene in American history.
Donald Trump
A new trial, the same result.
Trump was acquitted again in the US Senate, thanks to the support of his fellow Republicans.
The final count concluded with 57 votes to 43, minus ten votes from the quorum required for conviction, a two-thirds majority.
This in itself was a victory for the former president. He would still be eligible to run for the presidency again in 2024 if he wanted to.
Trump still has significant fanbase.
Most Republicans in the House and Senate opposed impeachment. Within the party, Republicans who bucked this trend face harsh criticism.
In a press release, the former president celebrated his innocence and condemned Democrats, saying his political career had just begun.
But the political Trump did not come out of this battle completely unscathed; Pictures of his supporters – with caps bearing his campaign slogan and with their hands flags bearing his photos, storming the Capitol – will remain affixed to him.
Every future campaign that Trump organizes will evoke images of these scenes in the memory, especially among independent and moderate voters, if not among the Republican electorate.
Republicans in the Senate
Republican Mitch McConnell has been lashing out at Trump for weeks, but fails to vote his conviction at trial
A year ago, Trump’s conviction in the Senate was limited to one, Mitt Romney.
This time, six other Republican senators joined Romney in denouncing Trump.
The surprise would pass if it became known that three of these six – Susan Collins, Ben Sas, and Bill Cassidy – had just been re-elected, so they would not have to face the electorate for six years.
This scene highlights a challenge that a number of Republicans face in the Senate; Voting to condemn Trump is enough to waste the votes of many party voters who would see this as a betrayal of their party.
And in established Republican states, Republicans are far more afraid of facing conservative Republican candidates than they are of facing Democratic candidates in November.
In swing states such as Florida, Wisconsin, and Iowa, Republican members fear the impact of their vote of innocence on Trump on the conduct of the general elections next year, in which their Democratic opponents may use videos depicting the violence that witnessed the storming of the Capitol.
Much will depend on what Trump does in the future. And whether he will reappear on the American political scene, reminding his supporters and opponents alike of those political battles with the approach of the next elections? Or will he choose to retire from the private clubs and golf courses he owns?
And I think we all know which path Trump will choose.
Democrats in the Senate
Democratic Representative Joe Negus calls for a vote to condemn Trump
Most of its 435 members are not usually in the spotlight in the US House of Representatives.
With the exception of the speaker, no one has been in the limelight as the directors of Trump’s trial did this week.
For five days, a team of nine deputies took turns reviewing video clips of the riots that took place on January 6, accompanied by maps of the Capitol showing how close the intruders were to US politicians, including former Vice President Mike Pence.
Representative Jimmy Ruskin’s opening of the trial will remain stuck in memory, especially the moment his voice suffocated as he recalls a conversation that took place between him and his daughter about the moment he was rescued and removed from the Capitol building.
Congressman Joe Negus is a rising star in the Democratic Party, and his role in Trump’s trial has added to his stardom.
The biggest surprise in this team was Stacey Blasket. As a delegate from the Virgin Islands who does not have the right to vote, she, by extension, does not have much influence in Congress, but she nonetheless appeared strongly during Trump’s trial.
If there is an observation that can be taken on the directors of Trump’s trial, it is the reluctance to call eyewitnesses.
Of the bygones
Image Released, Getty Images
President Biden has made sure not to throw himself too much in the trial of his predecessor, Trump.
According to White House officials, Biden was not closely following the trial procedures, but rather was busy with other cases, foremost of which is the Corona virus.
When Biden commented on the trial, he merely cited new videos showing scenes of violence at the Capitol building as it was stormed – scenes that were frequently broadcast on television newscasts.
Biden believes that his political future depends on his success in dealing with issues such as the epidemic, the economy, and other things that Americans care about, and not on the results of Trump’s trial.
The trial did not significantly affect the Senate’s agenda; The work of the Council was suspended for only three working days.
As the trial proceeds, the Senate will resume ratifying the appointments of the new US administration personalities – all of which are pleasing to Biden and his team.
But if the Democratic voter base believes that the price for not disrupting Biden’s political agenda is failure to convict Trump – via a hasty trial without witnesses – then Biden may pay a political price.
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