Party politics aside, Trump used his position of power to pressure Ukraine to discredit his Democratic political rival, Joe Biden. During this call, Trump withheld nearly $400 million in military assistance and a white house meeting. When Congress sought to investigate his phone call, Trump told his administration to deny every request.
With this in mind, on Dec. 18, Congress impeached President Trump which made him only the third president to be impeached. The next step, his removal from office, needs to happen. After days of senate hearings, the time is approaching to vote on his removal from office. Senate Republicans need to vote for democracy and resist the urge to vote for their political party.
Party politics had an extremely high influence on the decision. After all, the impeachment vote was nearly perfectly along party lines. However, this does not discredit the investigation, and it does not make what Trump did right. We need to focus on his actions, not the congressional votes.
He abused his power for his own political gain. Coercion like this should not exist in a democratic society. If the president can take his power and use it to get whatever he wants, it creates a blurred line that may continue to be pushed until the point of no return. Presidential power is meant to be checked by Congress. When Trump tried to defy Congress’s investigation of him, he was defying the system of checks and balances that our founding fathers created to prevent tyranny.
We should want other countries to respect the United States, not be afraid of them. When Trump withheld military assistance to Ukraine, even though he eventually released it, he sent a message to this country that if they didn’t do what he wanted, they would be without protection. If Trump sets this precedent, the presidency will become a position that is taken as selfish power rather than serving the country.
This is not about Democrats and Republicans. This is about a president who used a serious position to make himself look better. He has disrespected the American people who elected him.
