Do you think they will manage to impeach Trump?

[KindergartenKop]

Realistically do you think there are enough Republicans who are pissed off with him to pass this? I'm assuming there's no likelihood of him resigning, however many people call for it!

No.

He’s only got about 2 weeks left til he’s out of office, what’s the point?

No

Can they start the process now and continue it once he's out of office, just to prove the point? Or is the only purpose of impeachment to remove a president from office?

#ItsNotGreenItsBlue Lots of points but the main one being - he wouldn't be able to run again in 2024 if he's impeached.

@ItsNotGreenItsBlue

He’s only got about 2 weeks left til he’s out of office, what’s the point?

Won't be allowed to run in the next election. Won't get $200k per year pension. Won't get annual $1 million travel allowance. Among many other things.

Lots of reasons to impeach, including the fact he would lose his lifetime presidential salary and his security detail. Most importantly, so he cannot run again for the presidency. I don’t know whether they will, but I really hope they do.

@ItsNotGreenItsBlue

He’s only got about 2 weeks left til he’s out of office, what’s the point?

So many points -

• teaches him the world doesn't revolve entirely around him /
• means he loses loses lots of money /
• means America can never, ever be stupid enough to vote for the orange psychopath again /
• means that a point has been made that even presidents can't just do whatever they want and incite violence and dissent
• means the rest of us get to see him slouch out in disgrace whilst reminding us of just what a nasty, violent, racist, misogynist, foul, facist, bad-loser man-child that he is

I don't think so for lack of time. Though the process may flush out the difference between traditional Republicans and those of the extreme variety akin to Trump or the tea party (remember Sarah Palin?).

Would he not be clOse to 80 if he were to run again anyway or am I way off on his age?

@donewithitalltodayandxmas

Would he not be clOse to 80 if he were to run again anyway or am I way off on his age?

I might be wrong but I think it might stop him holding any future federal office, not just the presidency.

He's 72 or 74 I think.

I think if they did it would feed the conspiracy theories and ‘they’re trying to silence us’ lot. Just like banning him from Twitter etc has done.

I’m not a Trump fan btw, just worried about how the 75 million people who voted for him will react.

I was listening to the americast podcast earlier and they seemed to thing that he won’t be impeached before the inauguration but that he could be impeached afterwards to prevent him standing again. They said the risk for the democrats is that this would give him publicity- his followers rallied round him last time, and it might be better to hope that people actively chose not to support him anymore. A difficult choice.

Would he not be clOse to 80 if he were to run again anyway or am I way off on his age?

He's 74. Biden is 78. So Trump could run again. I doubt he would want to at that stage though.

I’m sure they’d like to, or anything else that will stop him running for office next time.

However, given the strength of feeling/support among his redneck Bible Belt brigade, I gather they are reluctant to turn him into some sort of martyr, which could easily fuel insurrectionist/violent flames.

Bad idea.

America is divided enough.

What we need from all sides is grace and tolerance now. From ALL sides. Not revenge.

Apparently the legal definition of incitement is quite rigid and whilst ordinary folk would see his speech as incitement it is unlikely to be considered incitement by lawyers. According to some expert on C4 news.

I see it as justice rather than revenge.

No unfortunately it's not justice its not equitable but its reality in American politics. I honestly think he's going on to lucrative after dinner speaking engagements and his family in pole position to rise in American political life.

And the family of the poor supporters who died and that policeman will suffer and be ignored and they will be forgotten. It's utterly sickening.

I think it should be done. Whether they will, however...

He’s lied and lied for years, USA need to show the world that politicians won’t get away with it in the end, so they MUST do something.

Why should anyone show grace and tolerance to a man who incited an insurrection?

I hope they can and do impeach him.

How many people need to vote in favour? Is is 50% or 2/3?

I think they will get 50% easily, even before Kamala Harris gets the tie breaking vote in the Senate. But I don’t know if they can get 2/3.

Impeachment doesn’t automatically disqualify Trump from running again for President. It’s the first stage in a two-stage process: the House of Representatives votes by simple majority to impeach, which means to level formal accusations of high crimes and misdemeanours. In the American criminal justice system it’s analogy is an indictment.

Once the President has been impeached, the next stage is that the Senate conducts a trial that is presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. To convict the President and remove him from office requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Upon conviction the Senate may vote again to disqualify the President from holding federal office - scholarly opinion seems to hold that for that vote a simple majority will do. But conviction would first be required before getting to a disqualification vote (though I’m happy to be corrected on that).