Get Over Impeach Trump Petitions, This Is Why He Will Never Be Impeached
Even since Trump won the elections, there have been petitions and rallies calling for his impeachment. Of late several online petitions demanding Trump’s removal have surfaced. But is there a possibility of Trump’s impeachment.
Recently Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro has joined calls to Impeach Trump. He claims that President had ordered the US Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) to follow his executive order and disregard the court’s order.
Irrespective of the sentiments of the people, the protest rallies, and online petitions, the chances of Trump’s impeachment are very slim.
Why Will Trump Never Be Impeached?
Before Trump took office, critics believed that he would be impeached on the very first day if he did not agree to place his assets in the blind trust. Well, here we are a couple of weeks later, and nearly everyone has accepted the blatant violation by Donald Trump.
The onus to impeach Trump lies completely on Congress. But it won’t be able to do much in these regards in the foreseeable future.
The president can be impeached if he or she is charged with treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors.” Although no proof is required to prove the charges, two-third votes are required to convict him in the Senate.
Republicans hold majorities in both the houses and politically it makes no sense for them to vote for Trump’s impeachment. It is worth noting that they have achieved majorities in both houses for the first time since the 1930s.
Democrats cannot take control before the congressional re-elections which will be held in 2018. Let us analyze this possibility. 33 Senate seats will be up for re-election in 2018. Out of 33 seats, 25 belong to Democrats and only eight Republican seats would be up for elections. Democrats will have to successfully defend their 25 seats and win at least three of the Republican seats.
Even if the Democrats were to pull off a victory, they would still need votes of 67 senators to impeach Trump. Even if by some miracle Democrats win all the seats, there are absolutely no chances that enough Republicans would vote in favor of Trump’s impeachment.
Another option that can lead to the impeachment of Donald Trump is the 25th amendment of the constitution. According to the amendment, “the Vice President and a majority of the principal officers of the executive departments” can declare the president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
Under the Amendment, Vice President can assume the role of acting President. This is also an unlikely scenario and might never lead to Trump’s impeachment.
There is nothing to say that Mike Pence has any presidential ambitions. Even if he wanted to become the President, a vast majority of Americans are still unsure about him being at the helm of things either.
Online Petitions Calling For Trump’s Impeachment
Several online petitions are calling for Donald Trump’s impeachment. A Change.org petition, titled simply “Impeach Donald J. Trump,” has already reached 197,872 signatures as of this writing.
Another online petition, titled “Impeach Trump Now,” that exists on its own website has reached over half a million signatures. Both these petitions indicate the growing insecurity of some American citizens towards Trump.
Sign and don't ever stop retweeting this petition to have Donald Trump impeached: https://t.co/6cNVYeueEd
— antonio (@antoniodelotero) February 2, 2017
In effect, these petitions count for nothing. Yes, they raise a certain amount of awareness but can’t force judicial, or for that matter, any action. On the other hand, if a petition to Whitehouse.gov receives more than 100,000 signatures, it will get a response. Even if the required number of signatures was reached, there is no guarantee that the response will be the same as demanded by the petitioners.
Considering all the aspects, it looks unlikely that Trump will be impeached anytime soon. So, the question; are we stuck with Donald Trump for the next four years?
[Featured Image by Ted S. Warren/AP Images]
