Donald Trump’s first impeachment was a watershed moment in American political history. It happened against a backdrop of hyper-partisanship and culture-war angst. On December 18, 2019, the 45th president of the United States faced impeachment by the House of Representatives on two articles: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. This unprecedented move stemmed from a phone call he made to the newly elected president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in July 2019.
The impeachment inquiry revealed a tangled skein of serious charges. It shed light on the fact that Trump tried to leverage military assistance to Ukraine for his political gain. This article analyzes the most important developments leading up to Trump’s impeachment. It looks at the public response and the ultimate result of the investigation.
The Call That Sparked Controversy
This is the background to the impeachment inquiry that began when a whistleblower complaint about a July 25, 2019 Trump-Zelenskyy phone call became public. On this call, while congratulating Zelenskyy on his election victory, Trump allegedly requested a “favor.” He dealt with allegations that he was offering a quid pro quo deal. Specifically, that he threatened to withhold $391 million in military aid unless Ukraine launched an investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.
series of self-inflicted wounds through which he was bathed in widespread condemnation from his political opponents. Elizabeth Warren, a senator and prominent critic of Trump, said, “The American people deserve to know that the president of the United States is working to do what’s best for the country — not using his office to do what’s best for himself and his businesses.”
Even in that great political crisis, Trump held firm, insisting that he was innocent of anything at all. On the day of his expected impeachment, he tweeted, “Can you believe that I will be impeached today by the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, AND I DID NOTHING WRONG!”
The Impeachment Process
The impeachment vote followed an expedited three-month investigation by the House of Representatives. On Wednesday, December 18, 2019, House members voted. Vote largely along party lines that would result in Trump’s impeachment on each of the two articles. That moment defined him, making him just the third president in American history to be impeached.
Throughout the inquiry, Trump remained defiant. And he took to Twitter often to express his outrage and bitterness with Democrats. In doing so, he quickly framed the impeachment as a purely partisan, Democratic attack against himself and his fledgling presidency. His supporters quickly rallied around him, insisting that the impeachment was unfair, even a coup, and politically motivated.
That sense of indignation on the part of Trump was most clearly suggested during Trump’s incendiary campaign rally on the evening of the impeachment vote. Speaking directly to his supporters, he delivered a fiery address in which he cast himself as the target of a political witch hunt. He even referenced historical injustices, stating that he felt akin to “those accused in the Salem Witch Trials.”
The Senate Trial and Acquittal
After his impeachment by the House, Trump’s trial then transferred to the Republican-controlled Senate. At 17 days, the proceedings were the most expedited in history, just making it the shortest third presidential impeachment trial in American history. The Senate would go on to acquit Trump on both charges, 52-48 and 53-47, respectively on February 5, 2020.
Even during his initial press conference the day after his acquittal, Trump shamelessly brandished a copy of the Washington Post declaring him “Trump Acquitted.” He characterized the impeachment process as a politically motivated sham and rallied his supporters as he focused their attention on what he framed as an unfair assault on his presidency.
No matter how the Senate trial ends, Trump’s impeachment already changed the face of American politics forever. Instead, it exacerbated the partisan divides it sought to avoid and established damaging precedents for future presidential accountability.
