probable 15 Republican senators will join the Democrats to impeach a president who is no longer in office. For the Left, this is the continuation of a vendetta against Trump that began the moment they realized he defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016. Despite what they may say about the Emoluments Clause, the 25th Amendment, phone calls with the Ukrainian president, or even “incitement to insurrection,” Trump’s original sin has always been the victory that he was not supposed to win. That alone is justification in the eyes of the political establishment – “The Swamp” in Trumpian parlance – to persecute him even after his 2020 election defeat.
judge to overturn even a single state’s election results due to fraud, never mind four states. But there was also a sense that Trump voters deserved their due process. As long as the effort to look at election fraud stayed within the boundaries of law, even unsuccessful claims provide clarity and some degree of catharsis for very frustrated Trump supporters. Then came the January 6 march, and the ensuing riot on Capitol Hill. For a mob of Trump supporters to break into the halls of Congress while the certification of a presidential vote was occurring was destructive, idiotic, and wrong on every level. It was also a massive blunder, as the Democrats have leveraged the incident to crack down on speech and tried to ignite a civil war within the GOP. Before this incident, Trump was expected to be operating a “government in exile,” the leader in spirit if not name of the GOP. Nobody else within the Republican Party had anywhere near his support among the base, and challenging him even after his election loss would have appeared a fool’s errand. Now, Trump’s future is unclear, and with it, so is the GOP’s. Trump is facing a second impeachment trial in the Senate, after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi rammed through yet another impeachment in the House. The fact that this came almost exactly 12 months after the first impeachment of Trump proves the particular absurdity of this political moment. There was no serious chance of removing Trump from office in 2020, nor is it remotely
Now, Trump’s future is unclear, and with it, so is the GOP’s
While the Senate trial looms, it’s highly unlikely Trump will be convicted and then be barred from holding future office. Democrats might view that as a dream come true, though it’s not even clear if Trump would plan to run again in four years. While he’s not quite as “past his prime” as Biden (who’s almost an octogenarian, at 78 years old), Trump is old enough that four years could take a toll. Assuming Trump had planned to run in 2024, he may soon find his political brand has lost momentum. The disastrous 2020 transition period certainly tarnished him among GOP elites, though the voter base seems overwhelmingly willing to stand alongside him.
American Consequences
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