Trump trial begins and may increase US divisions further
Ramin Mazaheri
Press TV, Chicago
The highly-divisive and unprecedented second impeachment trial of Donald Trump has begun in a nation already battered by hyper-partisanship, socioeconomic catastrophe and disputes over electoral integrity.
The team of prosecuting Democrats claim that Trump committed “the most grievous constitutional crime ever committed by a president” when he allegedly “incited” an “insurrection” culminating in last month’s violent protest at Capitol Hill. Trump’s lawyers rejected those accusations and claimed the entire trial is unconstitutional, but the Senate disagreed and voted to proceed with the trial.
The protest occurred as the Electoral College was choosing Joe Biden for president. Polls reveal that around 40% of all voters still believe Biden’s victory was illegitimate.
As Trump’s acquittal is almost universally expected, for many of Trump’s supporters the trial is really about trying to split the Republican party into factions, demonising Trump voters and ending questions about the legitimacy of Biden’s victory.
For many Democrat supporters the trial is necessary to bar the controversial Trump from holding office ever again, to punish violent protesters and to end discussions about the legitimacy of Biden’s victory. The trial is seemingly as controversial as the presidential election was.
A poll from top political website The Hill is making shockwaves. It found that two-thirds of registered Republicans would join a new political party led by Trump - and so would 30 percent of independents and even 15 percent of Democrats. Such a party would end one of the world’s oldest political duopolies, knocking Republicans into third place.
The trial which is now being rushed to completion and could finish next week is expected to be a condensation of the last four years of US political culture, highly-intense attacks and defenses of Trump and so-called “Trumpism”, with major uncertainty about the future shape of US politics.
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