WASHINGTON – The end of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial opens a new chapter for his successor in the White House.
But while President Joe Biden and his team are eager to overcome the impeachment, the bitterly partisan tone of the process underscores the deep challenges ahead, as the president and his party try to move their agenda forward and address historic crises.
Biden, who was at Camp David’s presidential retreat when the Senate voted on Saturday for Trump’s acquittal, acknowledged that Democrats needed to hold the former president responsible for the siege of the United States Capitol, but he didn’t like the way it distracted his agenda.
The trial ended with all Democrats and seven Republicans voting to condemn Trump, but the 57-43 vote was far from the two-thirds limit required for sentencing. Whether the Republican Party’s seven votes against Trump offered Biden any new hope for bipartisan cooperation within Congress, remained an open question.
In a statement, Biden referred to the Republican Party’s votes in favor of condemning the former president – and the very accusation by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell of Trump’s actions – as evidence that “the substance of the accusation” , which Trump was responsible for inciting violence on Capitol Hill, “is not up for grabs.”
DECLARATION OF BIDEN’S PROBLEMS ABOUT THE AQUUME OF TRUMP IMPEACHMENT: SUBSTANCE OF THE COLLECTION ‘IS NOT IN DISPUTE’
But he quickly moved on to the job ahead of him, sounding a note of unity and declaring that “this sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile” and that “each of us has a duty and a responsibility as Americans , and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and defeat the lies. “
“It is a task that we must carry out together. Like the United States of America,” said Biden.
Biden made a point of not watching the trial live, choosing to comment only briefly on the striking images of the riot that hit the nation. Although his White House has publicly argued that the trial did not hinder his plans, advisers in particular were concerned that a lengthy process would hinder the Senate and delay the approval of its massive COVID-19 relief bill. This $ 1.9 trillion proposal is just the first part of a broad legislative agenda that Biden hopes to approve as he fights the coronavirus pandemic, which killed more than 480,000 Americans and shook the country’s economy.
“The number one priority for Democrats and the Biden government will be to keep promises made about the pandemic, both in front of the vaccines and in the economic front,” said Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin.
TRUMP CELEBRATES AQUITALITY AT THE SENATE JUDGMENT, FUTURE POLITICAL PREFACE: ‘TOO MUCH TO SHARE’
The end of the impeachment trial frees the party to focus on less controversial and more popular issues and policies, such as the coronavirus relief package, which polls show have significant support among Americans.
Throughout his campaign, Biden worked to avoid being defined by Trump and his controversies and instead sought to draw a contrast between politics and competence, a guiding principle that he and his advisers carried to the White House.
His team maintained a steady pace of events during the test, including an update on vaccine development and Biden’s first visit to the Pentagon as commander in chief. With the lawsuit at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue now closed, the White House plans to step up its efforts to highlight the fight against the pandemic and overcome Trump’s chaos.
Former Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota predicted that in a state like hers, where Trump won 65% of the vote, focusing on these pressing issues would make more progress with average voters now.
“What we have to talk about is the economy – getting the economy back to work and turning the page” in the last government, she said. “Good policy is good policy. We need to get back to that.”
Democrats need to make a decision on how to deal with Trump in the future. While the end of the impeachment trial offers a clear opportunity for the party to focus directly on its own agenda, Trump can also be a powerful political weapon for Democrats, not to mention a major driver of campaign money.
After Saturday’s vote, American Bridge 21st Century, the Democratic Party’s opposition research arm, released a statement calling senators from Ohio and Florida, two states that Democrats target in the 2022 election, for voting against the conviction of Trump.
“Ron Johnson, Marco Rubio and almost all other Senate Republicans place their loyalty to Donald Trump above the rule of law, the Capitol police officers who protect them every day and the oaths that have sworn to defend the Constitution,” said Bradley Beychock, the group president, calling senators “cowardly sycophants”.
Still, Schwerin warned that Trump cannot be the Democrats’ “main focus”.
“We must not ignore the fact that many of the problems the country is dealing with are because of Trump’s failures, but he should not be the focus of every fundraising email and press release. We must be anxious, ”he said.
Biden plans to keep a busy schedule focused on the coronavirus pandemic next week.
The president will make his first official domestic trips this week: a TV prefecture in Wisconsin on Tuesday to talk to Americans affected by the coronavirus and a visit to a Pfizer vaccine facility in Michigan on Thursday.
The White House’s legislative affairs team was ready to work with House committees on drafting details of the COVID-19 relief bill, which Democrats hope to vote on next month.
Still, some within the party did not end with Trump. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a leading progressive advocacy group, issued a petition Saturday night encouraging its supporters to call on appointed attorney general Merrick Garland to “investigate and prosecute Trump and his entire criminal network for violating the law” .
Biden will likely continue to face doubts about how his Justice Department will handle a series of ongoing federal and criminal investigations into Trump’s business and conduct as president.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
And his advisers will be on the lookout for Trump’s next moves, especially if he claims the resignation and warms up his political activity and even points to a 2024 campaign. The plan, for now, is to try to ignore the former president.
Former Democratic National Committee chairman Donna Brazile has warned that Trump will not facilitate it, but Democrats need to avoid being sucked back into its orbit.
“I don’t think Donald Trump will disappear from anyone’s mouth anytime soon, and that’s because Donald Trump will always look for ways to inject himself and serve himself,” she said.
“While Donald Trump is trying to figure out who he is going to pursue next, Democrats are going to find out how they are going to raise people and how they are going to protect and help the American people.”