JANUARY 13, 2021 -- Earlier today, the House of Representatives decided to impeach President Trump in a historic vote of 232 to 197; today’s vote made President Trump the only President to ever be impeached twice.
The House decided to charge Trump with the offense of “incitement of insurrection” following the January 6th invasion of the Capitol by domestic terrorists in Trump’s support. His tweets that led to the invasion resulted in his ban from many platforms of social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Trump’s controversial tweets are the center point of conversation as House Democrats hit key points in the debate preceding today’s historic vote. In the words of Maryland Representative Steny H. Hoyer (D) earlier today, “[Past presidents] cared about our country. They honored our Constitution, and they executed the duties of the office consistent with the Constitution and laws of our country. That is not true of this President. Therefore, he ought to be removed.”
Steny isn’t alone in his remarks; in an interesting turn of events, ten U.S. Representatives boldly voted for Trump’s impeachment, including House Republican Conference Chair holder Liz Cheney. Further remarks from long-time Trump loyalist Senator Mitch McConnell indicate uncertainty in his opinion of the integrity of President Trump’s leadership.
CNN states, “McConnell has privately indicated that he believes impeaching Trump would be the way to rid him from the party, a dramatic break between the top Republican who has worked in tandem with the Republican President over the last four years.”
Senator McConnell’s decision to not call an emergency meeting of Congress to vote on Trump’s impeachment follows the rising uncertainty amongst Republican Congressmen and women in the President’s leadership. The Majority Leader delayed the vote in the Senate in the hopes of keeping a semblance of peace in the nation in the coming days, as President-Elect Joe Biden takes up the Oval Office in a week.
This debacle brings up the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Republican Party -- it seems as if there’s a rising internal divide in the party over Donald Trump’s political stature. While McConnell and others may speak out against Trump at times, to openly go against Trumpist policies could cause major discomfort amongst Republican voters.
The future of President Trump’s political campaign is yet to be known. If he attempts to run for President again (considering he doesn’t get removed from office by the Senate by then), he may cause major political divides within a large American Republican population.