Following the news that he has been acquitted in the Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump has spoken out. Unsurprisingly, he did so via Twitter. In response to his acquittal, Trump posted a clip on Twitter of his October 2018 Time magazine cover. The cover features the headline “How Trumpism Outlasts Trump,” and showcases Trump’s campaign in the years to come.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2020
While the original Time cover features the campaign even heading into the year 2040, Trump’s video takes things a step further, depicting his reach going decades into the future. His statement serves as a bold comment on his recent acquittal.
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On Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Senate voted to acquit the president on Article I, which regarded charges of abuse of power. The vote was 52-48. In regards to the vote on Article II, which accused Trump of obstruction of Congress, the Senate also voted to acquit in a vote of 53-47.
The vote comes days after the Senate voted against a measure that would bring in witnesses related to the case. Democrats were hoping to hear from relevant parties pertaining to the matter such as former national security advisor John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff; Robert Blair, an aide to Mulvaney; and Michael Duffey, an official in the Office of Management and Budget.
According to ABC News, the vote largely went along party lines, with only two Republican senators, Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine voting in favor of having witnesses. Two other Republican senators whom the Democratic party hoped would also vote in favor of the measure, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, ultimately opposed the measure.
Trump has maintained his innocence throughout this trial. In late January, he spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos where he called the trial a “hoax.”
“It’s a total hoax, it’s a disgrace,” he said, per the Los Angeles Times. “They had no case, it’s a con job.”
The House of Representatives, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, originally voted to impeach Trump in December. According to the Washington Post, the House of Representatives voted in favor of Article I, with 230 members voting in favor and 197 opposing the matter. Article II also passed with a vote of 229 to 198.
