Presidential powers need more restrictions
Kaieteur News – Donald Trump may have done well in last November’s Presidential Elections. But he will now go down famously as one of the most disgusting and unfit Presidents of the United States.
Yesterday, the House of Representatives, one of the two chambers of Congress, voted for it to be enforced. He will be the first President to face two such indictments. He is unlikely to be convicted by Parliament since his tenure ends within a week. But the Americans may come as a surprise and still push the case to make it an example.
The Americans send a clear signal to the internal rebels and to the world that it still has institutions that can be relied upon to uphold the values on which their nation is founded. Government institutions, the judiciary and now Congress send a clear signal that they can stand against dictatorship and oppression.
Several high-level government officials of the Trump Administration have resigned. They deny that anything else has to do with Trump even though his tenure has only another week. The New York Times reported that senior officials who have tendered their resignations included: Education Secretary, Betsy De Vos; Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao; Mick Mulvaney, Special Ambassador for Northern Ireland; Matthew Pottinger, Deputy National Security Adviser; John Costello, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers; Stephanie Grisham, First Lady Chief of Staff; Rickie Niceta, Social Secretary; Sarah Matthews, Deputy White House Press Secretary and Eris Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General.
These high-level resignations arose from the storming of the Capitol and represent an explosion of the Trump Administration. The White House is now said to resemble a ghost town, much more secluded than during the closing of the pandemic.
Those who have resigned are a sign that they have rejected the attempt to invoke democracy. Former Attorney General Bill Carr described Trump’s behavior as a betrayal of his office and his supporters.
The American judicial system had rejected attempts to use the justice system to shadow the election results. More than 60 lawsuits were filed in an attempt to overturn the election results. Most of these were rejected by short judgments indicating there was no case to answer. The legal challenges hit a stone wall
Despite the Capitol’s invasion, Congress stood its ground and later confirmed Biden’s victory. Congress now stands firm in punishing what has been described as rebellion. They will go much further than people think. They will send a strong message that the actions of Trump and his fellow activists will not go unpunished.
Trump has already started facing personal sanctions. His social media accounts have been deactivated, an unprecedented move against the Head of State. It shows how serious the Americans believe the threat to freedom was from Trump’s words on that fateful day last week.
Trump was a creator of the media. His appearance on the reality show, The Apprentice, fueled his political stardom and combined with his use of social media campaigning led to a upset victory over Hilary Clinton four years ago.
But the exact media that made it is now ready to cut it. No legitimacy was given to the actions of those involved in storming the Capitol. The media has not attached the resistance label to storm the Capitol. Instead, they have described it as a rebellion and an attack on democracy and freedom of expression. Some have called it a siege and those who attacked the House as a crowd or rebels.
And the media has not given much credence to Trump’s explanation that his words to the protesters are appropriate. No! Many have come to Trump’s defense in this regard.
And many will not want to do anything with it in the future. He will be a very lonely man for a very long time.
Trump is going to lose big money. Already some major party funders are abandoning the party’s funding. This will hurt the Republican Party.
There is little chance now of giving back the push that happens to Trump to have any political role in the future. Americans show the strength of American democracy.
Trump, however, has revealed a crack in American democracy. It is clear now that despite America rejecting the attempt to overturn democracy, there is a need to guard against the rise of another Trump. And this will require more restrictions on Presidential powers so that another Trump never emerges.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.)