On Tuesday, the Senate voted to proceed with Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, after inciting insurrection in Washington DC on the 6th January.
The trial commenced on Wednesday with the statement that Trump was “relentless” in his calls to overturn the 2020 election result. It continued with presenting not seen before footage of Congress during the insurrection, which showed Senators evacuating the Senate Chamber as a mob was held back, and key political figures such as Vice President Mike Pence fleeing.
Impeachment managers argued that Trump “deliberately encouraged” violence, using videos and tweets from Trump that supported this. The prosecution argued to the senate (who act as a jury) to use their own experience of the danger they faced.
Today, the Democrats continued showing the parallels between previous acts of violence that Trump spoke in support of. They commented on his response to Charlottesville (2017) and how he has continued to incite violence throughout his presidency, leading to the insurrection. His response to this was also used to show his support of the mob and how many were awaiting orders to launch further attacks at the inauguration.
Additionally, his response to the election result and the danger this held, as well as his legacy. Trump’s presidency sets a precedent for future presidents to incite violence, and this impeachment will decide if the GOP deems that acceptable or not.
Tomorrow, Trump’s legal team will present his defence.
Written by Anna Male
Artwork by Zara Masood
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