Please Note: The opinions in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Liberal America.
Every day there seems to be yet another astonishing revelation about some new scandal within President Donald Trump’s administration (like here here and here). For those of us who regularly check the news, keeping up with the latest Trump controversies, scandals, and erratic tweets is a bit like trying to drink water from a fire hydrant.
There are many prominent Democrats who have called for Trump’s immediate impeachment, and rightly so.
…But I don’t think Donald Trump should be impeached and removed from office – at least not yet.
Don’t misunderstand… I wholeheartedly believe Donald Trump has more than provided grounds for impeachment (here’s a great review) both from his Constitutional violations from Day One, as well as his continued controversies, lies, scandals, and corruption.
But here are at least three reasons I don’t support impeachment or removal from office at this point:
Mike Pence Isn’t Much Better
Donald Trump’s removal from office would mean Vice President Mike Pence would become President. And for this member of the LGBTQ+ community, that’s scary stuff. Mike Pence spent his tenure as Indiana’s governor suppressing gay rights, even making it a punishable offense for a same-sex couple to fill out an application for a marriage license (no joke).
He also supports conversion therapy and has opposed funding for HIV/AIDS patients.
Donald Trump has given mixed messages about his support for gay rights; but a Mike Pence presidency would mean an almost reversal of the progress made under President Obama for the LGBTQ+ community.
It Doesn’t Solve Anything
It’s often said that presidents aren’t that powerful, and that the real power of the United States government lies within the Congress. However, the first 100 days of a new Chief Executive’s term are, arguably, his (or her) most powerful.
Think about it: A new president has the power to install and nominate an entirely new administration. It’s a basic overhaul of the American government. This is one of the major aspects of the power of the presidency.
Donald Trump’s is bad, but he’s not alone. It doesn’t necessarily solve anything to remove him from office. As I just said, Pence would be President Pence, and that’s bad enough!
But Education Secretary Betsy DeVos would still be unhinging the Department of Education.
ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson would still be promoting Big Oil as Secretary of State.
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson would still be calling slaves “immigrants” from Housing and Urban Development (with the help of gameshow host Steve Harvey).
Climate change denier Scott Pruitt would still be dismantling the EPA.
White Supremacist Steve Bannon would likely still be whispering in the ear of whomever occupies the Oval Office.
Spin Master Sean Spicer would still be promoting “alternative facts” (AKA lies) every day during press briefings.
Need I go on? Just because Donald Trump would be gone, that doesn’t mean the offensively unqualified Swamp Monsters he’s installed would be gone too. So it seems there’s not much of a benefit to impeaching and removing him from office. On the bright side, at least the daily scandals and Twitter rampages consume this administration’s time away from actually governing (thank God!).
There Are Still People Who Adore Him
Although he lost the popular vote by 3 million votes, 62.9 million people still voted for Donald J. Trump. He’s still adored by fans across the country when he takes the stage at campaign-like rallies across the country. Not to mention the countless GOP congressmen and congresswomen who once spoke against him who refuse to have a backbone and speak out against him now (like House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), et al.)
I hope I don’t sound like a sadist, but if that many people still love and adore him, and if that many people still believe his lies s(like the size of his Inaugural crowd, 3 million illegal votes cost him the popular vote, President Obama wiretapped him, etc.), and if that many people still can’t separate the fact that they can not support Trump and still remain true to their Conservative beliefs…
…If all that’s true, America deserves Trump. If he’s to be removed from office, a great majority of those 63 million people need to wake up and realize their stupidity.
Let Them Eat Cake
Like Marie Antoinette, who marched to the guillotine in blissful ignorance of her oppression of the people who once adored her, Donald Trump’s reckoning will come one day. His lies, corruption, scandals, ignorance, and bigotry will catch up with him.
But let’s not remove Trump (yet).
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
