Trump impeachment continues to hold world’s attention

THE impeachment of former United States President Donald Trump continues to hold the attention of people around the world, although his term ended last January 20 when new President Joseph Biden took his oath of office after winning over Trump in the presidential election of November 3.

Last Monday, a delegation of House Democrats walked from the House of Representatives wing of the US Capitol across the Rotunda at the center of the building, to the Senate side, to deliver the House impeachment charge of “incitement of insurrection” against Trump.

The House had voted to impeach Trump last February 3 on the single charge of “incitement of insurrection” for Trump’s role in whipping up his supporters on January 6, the day they stormed the Capitol, occupied the House and Senate session halls, caused some damage to the premises, and threatened the lives of lawmakers, including Vice President and Senate President Mike Pence, who had refused to join in their call to overturn the Electoral College vote that had proclaimed Biden.

The House voted to impeach on January 13 – the second time in his administration – with all Democrats in the House joined by 10 Republicans. After Biden took office on January 30, it was agreed that the Senate begin trials on the impeachment charge in the week of February 8.

Under the US Constitution, if the Senate convicts an impeached official, it would then hold another vote to remove him from office. But Trump has been out of office since January 20, so there would be no call for such a vote.

In some past impeachment cases, the Senate also voted to disqualify the official from holding any federal office in the future. This could be the reason some officials continue to press the impeachment of Trump. He has warned that will seek reelection in 2024. And he seems to have retained his loyal following of rabid supporters. Very likely, Trump will not be convicted in the coming Senate trial.

Alone among American presidents, Trump has not had much support from leaders of other nations around the world. He had repeatedly told America’s allies in Western Europe to shoulder their share of maintaining their defense alliance. He scrapped many economic agreements with China. He banned immigration from Muslim nations. He closed the US borders to immigrants from Central and South America. He pulled out the US from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2018. More recently he withdrew US support from the World Health Organization even as it battled the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our own President Duterte declared a special alliance among the Philippines, China, and Russia at the start of his term. He threatened to put an end to the long period of special US-Philippine relations which, fortunately, has not come about.

The Trump administration has been called an aberration, so different it has been from all other US administrations. Despite its loss in the last presidential election, it is a face of the US that could surface again at any time.