A necessary step for some, “a witch hunt” for others: the historic impeachment of Donald Trump sheds new light on the deep partisan divisions in the United States.
The judicial escalation has placed the former Republican president (2017-2021) on the news and political table, a leader who has highlighted and amplified the polarization of the country.
Since the first announcements of his indictment by the New York judicial system in an infamous case, Republican lawmakers have been quick to denounce him on the Twitter network a “political persecution” deeming it “an absolute scandal” and “a sad day for America”.
Lawmakers bent their statements in the media and networks around the presidential candidate, erected into a kind of martyr.
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Even his co-religionist Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida who is flirting with the presidential candidacy in 2024 and seen as the tycoon’s main rival, came in support of Trump, calling the accusation “contrary to American values”.
On the Democratic side, they were content to timidly receive the announcement saying so “No one is above the law.”
One of the few to remain silent on the matter is the US president, the Democrat Joe Biden, who has not officially launched his campaign but knows that any comment could fuel the thesis of the Republican tycoon who considers him a victim of a political use of justice.
“Today I havePublic opinion sees everything through the prism of political divisionssaid Wendy Schiller, professor of political science at Brown University.
Thursday night, as progressives made fun of the “Trumpists’ Tears”a group of supporters of the former president traveled to his luxurious residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, to express their support.
Several flags flown reading “Biden is not my president” and “Trump won,” another reminder that more than two years after the billionaire lost the 2020 election, a part of American society remains convinced that the Democrats stole the presidential election.
Divisions
Trump stoked the flames from his Truth Social network, accusing Democrats of being “the enemies of the working men and women of this country”.
“It’s not me they’re targeting, it’s you, they’re just in their way,” she wrote.
Those words feed the ghosts around a “national divorce”supported by some members of the far right, such as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
In some American homes, entire sections of the news — gender issues, abortion or democracy — have become taboo.
The issue of gun sales and possession even sparked bitter crosses between progressives and conservatives in the halls of Congress this week, following a tragic shooting at a Tennessee school.
However, some experts relativize the idea of the extreme division of the current United States.
From the Civil War (1861-1865) to the struggles for civil rights and the Vietnam War (1955-1975), American society at times it was much more fractured and segregated from the current one, they argue.
The difference: “We are a more diverse and politically engaged country than ever before,” according to Wendy Schiller. “More voices speaking out can mean this exchanges become louder and more aggressive”assessed the political scientist.
“But it’s not realistic to compare this to the situation 50 years ago when so many people were silenced,” he said.
While Trump’s impeachment appears to dig deeper into the trenches, it is mostly a “political gift to campaign managers and strategists of the two major parties” ahead of the 2024 election, polarization expert Robert Talisse told AFP politics at Vanderbilt University.
“The prosecution gives both sides an opportunity to do so arouse outrage among citizenss” of both lines, he considered.
Several GOP figures, including Trump himself, have rushed to launch fundraising efforts to fight a “politically motivated impeachment.”
And on Friday, the mogul announced he’d raised more than $4 million in less than 24 hours for his 2024 campaign.
AFP agency
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.