Trump indicates active public life after 2nd impeachment acquittal

PTI, Feb 14, 2021, 11:42 AM IST

Washington: Donald Trump has told millions of his supporters that he is ready for yet another phase of active public life after the US Senate acquitted him in his second impeachment trial.

Following four days of the impeachment trial, the 100-member Senate voted to impeach the former US president by 57-43 votes, 10 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for conviction.

Trump, a Republican, is the first-ever president to have been impeached twice and the first president to have faced impeachment after leaving office.

Trump, 74, faced the charge of incitement of insurrection over the deadly January 6 assault of the US Capitol by his supporters.

“Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun. In the months ahead I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people. There has never been anything like it!” Trump said in a statement.

“We have so much work ahead of us, and soon we will emerge with a vision for a bright, radiant, and limitless American future,” Trump, who received 74 million votes in the November 3 presidential election, higher than that of any president before him.

While Trump has remained quiet on his post-presidency life, speculation has been rife that he might run for the presidency in 2024 or encourage someone from his family to fight out a battle for the White House.

There is also some talk that the former president might part ways with the Republican Party to form his own party. However, there has been no statement on this from Trump.

“Our cherished Constitutional Republic was founded on the impartial rule of law, the indispensable safeguard for our liberties, our rights and our freedoms,” Trump said.

After the end of his term on January 20, Trump flew to his resort in Palm Beach Florida, where he has been staying since then.

Trump has been banned from almost all the major social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook.

Meanwhile, several Republican leaders slammed the party’s Senators who voted against Trump.

The seven Senators are Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse and Pat Toomey.

“The Louisiana GOP immediately censured Sen. Bill Cassidy, while state party officials in North Carolina and Pennsylvania issued sharp statements expressing disappointment over the votes cast Saturday by Sens. Richard Burr and Pat Toomey,” Politico reported.

“The moves are the latest in a series of censures and disciplinary actions doled out to lawmakers deemed to be critical of the former president in the wake of the Capitol riot,” it added.

Republican Senator John Cornyn said that he had concerns about this snap impeachment from the start.

“The arguments of the House Impeachment Managers that the Constitution permits the impeachment of a private citizen, the free speech protections of the First Amendment don’t apply, the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment is optional, and that the trial may include a presiding officer who also serves as a juror all were a bridge too far,” he said.