KT edit: The acquittal of Trump didn’t bring closure

The US Senate has acquitted Trump. But to think that Trump is absolved of all wrongdoings would be wrong. Trump has been acquitted and yet he has lost.

Published: Sun 14 Feb 2021, 11:34 PM

What happened on January 6 at the Capitol Hill was beyond appalling. It was a blot on the most hallowed American institution, whose history that stands tall on the tradition of a peaceful transition of power for more than 230 years. What was clear at that time and even now was the role of Donald Trump as an insurrectionist, and yet it was also evident at the beginning of the second impeachment trial that the 45th president of the United States might just survive it, which he has.

The US Senate has acquitted Trump. But to think that Trump is absolved of all wrongdoings would be wrong. Trump has been acquitted and yet he has lost. Yes, at 57-43, the US Senate was short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict the former president. It needed the support of 17 Republicans to uphold the conviction, not just seven who showed courage to support impeachment of Trump. But the process of impeachment, first for a former president, laid bare crude evidence in the form of videos that showed the impunity with which the highest office in the United States was attacked. This evidence and the 57 votes against the former president silence all doubt that he was condemned by some procedural unfairness. It clears air that the impeachment trial was based on fake evidence or was anti-constitutional to begin with. A number of Republican senators who voted to acquit Trump have also gone on record to condemn the former president as a seditionist.

Trump is not barred by the US Senate to run for another presidency. But his reactions to the trial and statements such as his movement “has only just begun” could make it trickier for him to make another bid at the White House, if he intends to in 2024. By calling the trial “yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt”, the former president continues to debase the dignity of the American political system, its constitution, and electorate choice. The acquittal of Trump didn’t bring any closure or relief, but it is a learning for the American electorate. This episode should also open eyes and allow the Republican Party to dismiss not only Trump but also the extremist viewpoint that has so deeply divided the American society and lead to racial and political violence that defined the era of Trump.