"Impeached": The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday, December 18, after long hours of partisan statements, the two impeachment articles of Donald Trump, opening the door to his Senate impeachment trial in January. "President impeached, that will be the first thing written in the Donald Trump history books", before "Real estate tycoon, billionaire, TV show host, populist demagogue, extraordinary leader", written politico, for whom this is one of the many consequences of Wednesday's historic vote. However, according to a magazine source, the president is " obsessed " by the trace he will leave behind, and judges that the dismissal procedure will constitute a "Stain" on his presidency.
Beyond this symbolic heritage, the event will also have political effects that are difficult to measure at the moment. But, as indicated politico, "A president has never been a candidate for re-election after a dismissal inquiry; it puts even more pressure on Trump to win in 2020. For him and his team, this election is a chance for revenge. "
For the conservative channel Fox News, the stake is clear and the American president opened as of Wednesday evening, at the time of a rally in Michigan, the "Post-impeachment campaign". "The Democrats are going to drag out impeachment throughout the campaign and Trump is not going to let go of them easily. He will make this procedure a powerful plea for another four years ”, forecast Fox News.
CNN is not far from sharing this opinion: "There are more and more signs that this procedure is helping Trump politically. " Two figures support this analysis, according to the chain vilified by the American president. "Since the launch of the procedure in October, the satisfaction rate (from Trump's term) went from 39% to 45% and the proportion of Americans who favored impeachment from 52% to 46%. " Other polls give perfect equality, at 48%, between pros and anti-impeachment.
"Uncomfortable situation"
For the New york times, “Attempting to remove a president involves political risks. But this time they are particularly heartbreaking for the Democrats who know that their vote will not lead to the dismissal and the departure of the White House ”. The head of the Republican majority in the Senate has already indicated that Trump has no chance of being removed from office. "The elected democrats are therefore in danger not for a tangible result but for a principle", estimates the newspaper, which underlines the virtual absence of defections in Wednesday's votes (only three Democrats voted against the articles) while some moderates (in disputed districts) could lose their seats there.
Against his will, another American political figure will remain marked by this procedure. The leader of the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, 79, reiterated that she did not want to use it but that Mr. Trump's actions had left her no choice. She would have preferred to remain in the history books for her political and legislative achievements, like the vote of the reform of health protection under the Obama presidency, explains the New york times. But his record will now be linked to that of the third impeachment of an American president. She too knows that there is a risk that a crank return due to her efforts to dismiss the president "Costs Democrats the majority in the House in 2020".
For the Wall street journal, the Democrats face "An uncomfortable situation" : this trial comes at the end of the mandate, which gives way to accusations that "The procedure not only intends to overturn the past election but also wants to interfere with the next." And, as historic as this procedure was, finally notes the business newspaper it has "Strictly nothing settled" : "Voters, more than members of Congress, will have the last word on Mr. Trump's behavior when they vote for or against his re-election. " In less than a year.
