The views expressed in this article are the views of the author.
It’s a well-known fact that President Donald Trump is not well-liked. Currently, his job approval rating sits around 44 percent. He has gone down as the most unpopular president since the poll’s origin. The American public doesn’t like him.
The economy gave Trump redemption. However, in a time of plenty, a lot of Trump’s antics slipped under the radar. His subtle jabs toward fascism were quickly struck down by the courts, taken back due to public outcry or disregarded in total. We were in a cycle where Trump’s actions became a hot topic for a week and then evaporated into the ether.
But we are entering into a new era of the Trump presidency. Trump is the fourth president to have an impeachment inquiry opened against him. In July, Trump, on a phone call with the President of Ukraine, threatened to withhold funding in exchange for dirt on Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden’s dealings with a Ukrainian gas company. Even worse, a whistleblower within the Intelligence Community saw this behavior and attempted to report this bribe to Congress, only for the Trump administration to block the report until late September.
Obviously, this behavior is unacceptable of a sitting president; and yet again, in a world where we’ve seen everything, Trump has found a way to shock us all. We’ve never seen a moral man, nevertheless, a sitting president, so blatantly and openly disregard societal, political and cultural norms, and defy the will of his party and the public.
Trump has no morals, however. Since his inauguration, the sitting president has been accused of obstruction of justice, witness tampering, breaking campaign finance laws, alleged sexual assault, threatening the free press, undermining his own intelligence agencies, inciting violence and revoking human rights from refugees and immigrants. Within the last three years, we have seen more corrupt, ruthless and dictatorial behavior than we’ve ever seen before. Now, we can add “attempted to rig an election” to the list of inexcusable acts this president has committed.
For far too long, the Democratic Party held off on impeachment, fearing it may trigger a backlash from the public. Many in the party worry that impeachment, specifically an acquittal in the Senate, will energize Trump’s base in the 2020 Presidential election. Many representatives of swing districts fear that supporting impeachment may cause them to lose their position in 2020. Even still, Democrats in the House reached a majority for supporting an impeachment inquiry.
What’s right is not always easy. We have a constitutional and moral right to keep the powerful in check, even at the risk of losing. Furthermore, we can no longer allow this president to make a mockery of our government. Congress must use the checks and balances afforded to them and keep the presidency in line. The impeachment inquiry must go forward, and every representative and senator must make their mark on history and either stand up against corruption or succumb to complacency.
Trump’s reign of lawlessness must end. Our democracy is at stake. All the ideals this country holds in high regard — freedom, liberty, decency and truth — lie stripped, beaten, robbed and left for dead by this administration. Enough is enough. Congress has waited for far too long to place this president in check. Impeachment must move forward.
It’s time.
