The Senate impeachment trial of President Trump has been underway for over a week and is set to come to a close on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Over a dozen students and faculty members engaged in a discussion on the nature of the Trump presidency, his impeachment and the ongoing Senate trial on Wednesday, Jan. 29, in the Joseph G. Shapiro Family Hall at Hofstra University.
Carolyn Eisenberg, a professor of U.S. history and foreign policy at Hofstra University, led the discussion, beginning by dispelling the common misconception that Trump has yet to be impeached. In fact, Eisenberg explained, Trump has already been impeached. The question now facing the Senate is whether he should be removed from office, which would require two-thirds of the body to vote in favor.
Trump’s impeachment itself is notable, as only two other presidents in U.S. history have been impeached. However, neither were removed from office, meaning Trump could be the first president convicted and removed by the Senate.
“People hated Andrew Johnson for his temperament,” said adjunct instructor of history Michael Galgano, noting that this is just one similarity between the first impeached president in U.S. history and Trump.
“Johnson branded his enemies as traitors, calling them Judists and referring to himself as Christ being crucified on the cross,” Galgano said. “Massive insecurity, self-righteousness, almost paranoia and it’s almost like you’re listening to Trump in Johnson’s speeches.”
On the other hand, there is a clear-cut difference between Trump’s impeachment and the case of former President Bill Clinton, Eisenberg said. Many Democrats questioned and ultimately voted against their party’s leader in 1999, while today the GOP is in lockstep behind Trump.
“He just … immediately stomps on them and takes their credibility away,” said Crystal Bermudez, a freshman journalism major, about Republicans in the Senate. “Even if someone were to speak up and tell their own truth, there’s always a way [Trump] finds an angle – insulting them, tweeting about it.”
“There used to be a time when Republicans would speak up,” Galgano said, referencing the Watergate investigation into former President Nixon, who resigned to avoid impeachment.
Other American right-wing groups were discussed as well, namely the president’s base and the so-called “Never Trump” conservatives.
“The people turning against him in the government are conservatives in the country,” Eisenberg said, specifically referencing John Bolton, the president’s former national security adviser who has long been regarded as a conservative hawk on foreign policy.
The room agreed that Trump’s unorthodox and often bully-like, aggressive behavior toward establishment politicians was key to his election.
Michael D’Innocenzo, professor emeritus at Hofstra’s history department, pointed to Trump’s failure to apologize for his birther campaign that alleged former President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. as an example of the behavior that gains the vote of this demographic.
Similarly, Trump employs the “common man” appeal, in which he uses simple, brash language many feel they can relate to. This, according to the room, is where Donald Trump excelled – by taking issues that were political, amplifying them by speaking to the fears of certain groups and making these issues personal.
Whether it be at a rally in real life or virtually on Twitter, “there’s just something about Trump – he knows how to rally people,” said Courtney Fegley, a sophomore journalism major.
It was noted that Trump is also the first president to use Twitter as his main method of communication, garnering attention from more of the country, including younger demographics.
One student pointed out how this, along with gerrymandering, helped Trump secure the Electoral College victory, which provides less-populated, rural states with an unequal share of power.
The room agreed that for many Trump supporters in these states, the impeachment effort is seen not only as an attack on the president, but on his supporters as individuals.
The room debated whether the polarizing nature of the impeachment process will ultimately be worth it, whether Trump should be removed from office and if this decision will bear relevance for the future of the country.
The conclusion the group came to was that Trump should be removed by the Senate in order to defend the integrity of the Constitution.
“It’s not just a policy difference; he tried, in a lot of ways, to stonewall the Congress,” D’Innocenzo said, alluding to the second article of impeachment passed by the House, obstruction of Congress.
“I do believe [impeachment is] worth going through … because we need to hold up our country’s Constitution, and clearly that’s been broken or not followed lately,” Fegley said. “I think in order to keep … the integrity of the country, we need to follow through.”