Could Trump Be Impeached...Again?
What we saw on January 6th at the Capitol was an attempted coup, spearheaded by Donald Trump and his actions throughout his presidency. Let’s rewind about 100 years, though. On November 8, 1923, citizens in Munich violently stormed through the streets. In Munich Beer Hall Putsch, then-young Adolf Hitler captured citizens’ attention, encouraging them to partake in a coup. Hitler and his followers were shut down by the local government, and their attempted coup was underestimated and somewhat overlooked. Without comprehensive recognition of and response to their violent acts, Hitler and his followers were in no way deterred from continuing their mission of overthrowing their government, which they ultimately succeeded in doing. While the events at the Capitol and in Munich are not exactly parallel, there is something to be understood about the similarities between the events. Trump is a threat to our democracy, and we must recognize and resist his violent behavior in order to stop the continuation of his dangerous power and influence.
Since the attempted coup at the Capitol, Trump’s accounts have been suspended on a myriad of social media platforms ranging from TikTok to Twitter. If he isn’t trusted to hold an online presence, how can he be trusted to lead the United States? While his time in office is ticking, an impeachment would be a significant step in prohibiting him from running for further public office and would set the tone that politicians cannot act so undemocratically and dangerously without repercussions.
The impeachment efforts began today, January 11. Ilhan Omar (who Trump previously grossly offended at a rally in Pennsylvania saying, "She's telling us how to run our country. How did you do where you came from? How is your country doing?" Look who’s talking now, Trump) is the representative of the two articles that will be used against Trump for his abuse of power in attempting to overturn the election results in Georgia and for orchestrating the attempted coup at the Capitol. Before the impeachment-related activities began, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnel sent a memo to his Republican counterparts noting, “Senate trial would therefore begin after President Trump’s term has expired-- either one hour after its expiration on January 20, or twenty-give hours after its expiration on January 21.” Impeaching Trump even after he is out of office, however, still has significantly important implications, including his inability to ever hold public office again and setting a precedent for the way a leader acts. There are no laws prohibiting the impeachment of a former president, which may be due to the fact that it has never occurred before. Trump is also the first president to potentially be impeached by the House twice. If successfully impeached, Trump would lose his pension which is $219,200 annually, transition costs that are traditionally guaranteed in the Former Presidents Act, coverage of future travel costs that would have been allotted to him from 1968 legislation (Trump is no stranger to travel expenses, considering he’s used around $144,000,000 in taxpayer money to cover golf-related expenses. He is, however, a stranger to the concept of paying taxes himself, although he does love them from others), and maybe Secret Service that would have been given to him for his entire life as a result of the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012.
Trump could lose the benefits that former presidents have previously enjoyed, but no one is stopping him from fundraising for himself. He would be free to allot the campaign money he has already raised however he desires, and he would also be free to continue promoting himself through monetary support from his followers. Furthermore, he has already established the Save America political action committee, which he can use to help underwrite his expenses and fund his various endeavors...like the $70,000 in hair care-related tax deductions.
The articles of impeachment have already been drawn up and are circulating throughout the House. Next, the House of Representatives needs to vote on the impeachment, which takes a simple majority to win. Of the 435 members, only 51% needs to support the impeachment, and Democrats currently hold that majority. In order to convict ( and typically remove from the office) the president, the Senate needs to win a ⅔ vote, which may be unlikely. Seventeen Republicans need to vote for Trump’s impeachment, and only five have publicly called for his removal thus far: Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Ben Sasse, Senator Pat Toomey, Representative Adam Kinzinger, and Representative Steve Stivers. In the event that the Senate does not impeach Trump, he may use this as an opportunity to boost his own ego and future political and other public pursuits. He would twist the narrative to shed him in a positive light, proclaiming excellence in “surviving” an impeachment trial not once but twice.
What can you do?Text IMPEACH to 50409
Call and email your local elected officials, demanding that they support the impeachment proceedings
Educate those around you about the implications of an impeachment. Spread the wealth of knowledge!!!
Here are some infographics I made that are convenient for social media:
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