The second political process against the former president is an essential democratic catharsis.
A historic political trial — impeachment — is scheduled to begin in the U.S. Senate this Tuesday against former president Donald Trump. The seriousness of the charge against him, “incitement of insurrection” against U.S. democracy, is what makes this trial so historic. It is not only about the personal consequences for the former president — in the unlikely event that he is found guilty, he would be disqualified from running for office again — but, above all, about the message that the trial will send to U.S. society and the entire world about the soundness of the country’s institutions.*
Trump has been indicted for the crucial role he played in the assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6. He gave a pep talk to a mob nearby before they forced entry into the legislative headquarters, trying to prevent the certification of the legitimately elected president. For several hours, the U.S. lived in moments of anguish while an impassive Trump was reluctant to ask his supporters to cease this unfortunate aggression. Faced with these facts, it was an unavoidable democratic obligation to proceed with political scrutiny. The impeachment should therefore not be considered as the Democratic Party settling a score with Trump, in a sort of political revenge, but an act of democratic catharsis, even considering the risk of further promoting the polarization that needs to be overcome in society.
The trial has the power of demonstrating that an action such as Trump’s does not circumvent democratic control, and also forces the Republican Party to show its true nature. In the previous term, the right wing dissolved its principles, set aside critical voices and became an uncritical endorser of the Trumpist abuse of power. Having arrived at the edge of the abyss, the main leaders had, at the last minute, the decency to dissociate themselves from their leader’s anti-democratic initiative. Now, in this new term, a handful of party members have raised their voices against the former leader. Although this is unusual in impeachment proceedings, it is still a small minority of the party, making the prospect of a conviction totally unlikely.
Most Republican senators have announced that they will vote against it with the argument, which sounds more like an excuse, that it is a legal tool designed to act against presidents in office, not for those who are no longer head of state.
The epilogue of Trump’s presidency deserves the highest political reprobation. His behavior was unworthy of the judiciary granted to him by the public. It is likely that a very consistent part of the Republican Party leadership feels this way internally. Unfortunately, however, he seems determined to put his partisan interests before the protection of the democracy. This, however, does not detract from the interest of the process. Although chances of conviction are minimal, although the Trumpist era has reached its capacity and the desire to turn over a new leaf is enormous, the trial serves a vital function: to portray the state of American democracy and the values of everyone.
*Editor’s Note: On Feb. 13, the Senate failed to convict Trump.
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