Impeachment looms on Trump after Capitol Riots: A Dark Time for US Democracy

Img Source: New York Times

It’s been a long time coming, but now I provide you with my take on the situation in the US. The Capitol Hill riots, Trump, impeachment. He really did go with a bang. I like to keep it neutral here on Geekpad, but I struggle to even possibly imagine a viewpoint supporting this man’s actions over the past month. Inciting violence on Twitter, disseminating false claims, stirring up supporters. And what shocks me the most is that a grown, accomplished man is unable to accept a fair, proven result and peacefully hand over the baton to the next President. Not only is it immature, it’s criminal. I believe he should never be accepted into American politics ever again.

This whole situation kicked off way back in November, precisely on the 7th, when Joe Biden passed the 270 electoral college votes required to be elected President of the United States. For months Trump had been relentlessly complaining and assuring his supporters that the election was going to be ‘rigged’ and was frantically preparing for an inevitable loss, packing the supreme court and stirring up his mob. After he did lose, Trump refused to accept the result, splurging money on recounts and claiming voter fraud. Despite spending a flabbergasting amount of money on recounts, Trump still only managed to obtain an extra 2,343 votes from his efforts. Should he have stopped there? Probably. But he kept going.

‘We believe these people are thieves. The big city machines are corrupt. This was a stolen election.’ Trump persisted on Twitter and his rallies, and he and Rudy Giuliani kept stirring their supporters, angering them and glorifying violence. Let’s not forget, the man got the most votes for a Republican candidate ever, so he had plenty of people on his side. On the 6th of January, Trump held a massive rally. One comment from that rally by Rudy Giuliani particularly stood out, when he urged the people to carry out a ‘trial by combat’. He later bizarrely claimed that this was a reference to Game of Thrones, but either way, it definitely incited violence. However, it was Trump’s speech that was the invitation for this deadly riot. He blamed the media, technology, everyone he could, for the so called ‘rigging’ of this election, and portrayed an accurate result as a criminal offence. He also called his mob ‘patriots’. A patriot is someone who forcefully defends their country or something they believe in against enemies or threats. This gave his supporters the impression that they had to use physical force to get Trump in the office. On top of this, his speech was littered with violent urges and commands, telling his supporters to ‘fight like hell’ when they storm the Capitol, claiming Rudy Giuliani ‘did well’ because he fought. Trump also constantly, baselessly and relentlessly claimed he won the election, calling ‘bullshit’ on it and somehow making everyone believe him, a chant of ‘bullshit, bullshit’ echoing out across the crowd.

That same day was possibly one of the darkest days for American democracy. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked violently outside the Capitol building, waving Confederate and Trump flags and yelling ‘Stop the steal!’ and ‘Where’s Nancy?’ (referring to House speaker Nancy Pelosi). Congressional staff members took cover, locking doors, piling furniture against them and hiding under tables. Rioters violently slammed and kicked the door to the hall. 5 deaths, including the perishing of a Capitol police officer were linked to this riot. The Capitol Police could not supress this brutal attack, and were starting to give in. The 400 different exits of the Capitol building were all at risk of being penetrated. People were striking at police barriers, spraying things and throwing things. One person used a police shield to break a window and jumped through, followed by many others. Soon after, they breached a second side of the building. They smashed in the windows of the Speakers Lobby, and were on the verge of entering the chamber when an officer opened fire on the crowd and killed one of the rioters, an Air Force veteran called Ashli Babbitt. People started rummaging through files and desks and taking selfies as Capitol staff huddled together and barricaded doors, praying. A lone Capitol Police officer, Eugene Goodman, diverted a crowd of protesters from the chamber and towards a group of police officers where they were held at gunpoint.

Congress staff filed back into the hall when safe, surrounded by the debris and mess created by this awful uproar. Donald Trump had just threatened the democracy, caused deaths and put peoples lives at risk. All because he lost an election. And later, he did not even condemn what had happened, he just played the ‘that’s what happens’ card. The election was not stolen, Biden beat him, there is no possible argument one can conjure for the stealing of this election. Yet violence is somehow the answer for Trump. Seems extremely immature and slightly sadistic.

Now, Trump has been rejected by everyone. Republicans, for a starter. Many Republicans are coming out and admitting that what he did was disgraceful, and are supporting a possible impeachment or a peaceful transition of power. He has also been rejected by Corporate America. All his social media accounts have been banned for fears of further incitement of violence. Videos and posts supporting Trump’s actions have also been banned. Trump has basically been wiped off the face of the internet. Leaders from around the world have also come out criticizing him. It’s safe to say its over for him, however the government and law and order forces must do everything they can to stop further violence from the Trump mob.

Yesterday, Trump was impeached by the House for a historical second time in his Presidential stint. Despite Mitch McConnell saying he desired a peaceful transition of power, the votes for yea outnumbered the votes for nay, and Trump will be removed from office if the senate finds him guilty. One final roar from the now extinct Don. Was he the worst President the US have ever had?