By: Abigail Calandra | Head Editor
November 21, 2019
Trump’s demeanor, violations of the Constitution, and shady acts have further tarnished his already substandard reputation, and his presidency will be seen as a low point in American history. Based on an Instagram Poll of San Clemente High School students, 73% of them believe that his presidency will be viewed negatively from a historical perspective.
If you had asked in the 1990s, supporter or not, Trump was the last person anyone would have expected to be moving into the White House in 2017. Right up to election day in 2016, his campaign seemed like a cruel joke; even Trump himself seemed to be surprised he won. Despite his lack of political knowledge, Trump solemnly swore to obey the Constitution on January 20 during his inauguration.
The partisan divide has increased significantly among American citizens since Trump’s election. At times, some of Trump’s fiercest critics have been members of his own party. Trump’s flat-out rejection of the concept that everyone of every race, gender, and faith is created equal makes it clear that Trump wants to increase tension– and he’s doing everything he can to make sure it happens.
“I believe Trump will be remembered in a far more negative light than positive,” senior Alexa McGormick said. “Despite his improvement and stimulation of the economy, instrumental role in peaceful relations with North Korea, and reduction of the unemployment rate, his social media presence and strong opinions on race and other demeaning remarks…have made a much larger impression on especially the younger generations of America. He will likely be correlated with his ignorant remarks rather than some of the large steps he made for the country.”
Trump’s possible impeachment threatens to destroy the threads of American unity, creating an ideological civil war, and stalling the nation’s forward momentum. The drama of the impeachment hearings will be one of the most significant events of his presidency. These hearings will determine the effectiveness of US governance in investigating a president who simply ignores the charges brought against him and decide whether this debacle of an administration will reach its full and natural term. It’s unlikely that the Republican Senators will vote to convict Trump, regardless of their belief of guilt or innocence, out of fear of political backlash. Within the same Instagram poll addressed earlier, 66% of students believe he won’t be impeached. But letting Trump walk free also sets a precedent that executive power can be used for the President’s own political gain.
Throughout his presidency, Trump has failed to detach himself from his business empire. From actively pursuing Trump Tower in Moscow six months prior to his presidency to volunteering his struggling Doral Miami resort as the site for the next G7 summit, courts are investigating whether this violates the Constitution, specifically the Emoluments Clause. Most importantly, Trump has pressured public officials to advance his personal interests rather than those of the country. Trump’s dictator-like tendencies, probably due to his close relationships with BFF Vladimir Putin and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, are what make his possible reelection in 2020 so dangerous.
“Whether Trump will be remembered positively or negatively depends on how the country does after he is out of office,” junior Davis Grace said. “If the country goes to hell, Trump will be revered as a great president, but if the country does better without him he will be looked at as a terrible president.”
This is where the impeachment hearings come back into play. The Democratic party is attempting to change the political alignment of Senators who are unwilling to abandon their guy, in order to receive a two-thirds majority to convict Trump in a Senate trial. Their hope is that Trump will be so damaged by the impeachment that his hopes of gaining support beyond his base will be crushed.
Congress left for a long Thanksgiving break on Thursday, November 21 and Republicans did not seem compelled to convict him should congress move to impeach. It’s no doubt that this created a smug grin on his orange face. This as a reminder that this man is RUNNING the United States– a global hegemony! A racist, misogynistic, dishonest, potential dictator. Trump didn’t get into the White House on his own. The electorate who voted for him deserves the brunt of the blame, and given the odds that he will be removed through impeachment, it is the duty of the electorate to vote Trump out of the Oval Office in 2020 before he has completely demolished the little bit of unity and integrity the nation has left.
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