In 2020, there were many significant political events in the United States. 2021 has also begun with historic political events, including President Trump’s impeachment. On Wednesday January 13, President Trump was impeached for a second time, making him the first president in US history to be impeached more than once. The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump after a Pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on January 6 (ABC News).

Trump faced impeachment for the first time near the end of 2019 which was sparked by a whistleblower who sent a complaint about a call Trump had with Ukraine’s 6th President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump talked about an investigation on Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, pressuring Zelensky and Ukraine to find information that would make him look bad. He was also accused of withholding a large sum of money for military aid that was meant for Ukraine (BBC News).

The situation is unprecedented in many ways. This is the first time a president has been impeached twice, and also to have an impeachment so close to the end of his term. If two thirds of the Senate vote to impeach President Trump in the second stage of the trial, he will be convicted and officially impeached (ABC News).

NDB Senior Emily Fletcher gave her opinion on the impeachment news.

“When I heard about the impeachment I was pleased to hear [it], as I believe this is the right thing to do considering the current situation that happened at the Capitol on January 6th. I believe [that is the result] of the president inciting violence,” said Fletcher.

“To be honest, I have no idea what to expect for the Senate trial, however I hope whatever happens is due to facts and not due to partisanship. If they got a majority vote I would be really happy as this is for the safety of our democracy,” continued Fletcher.

Jonathan Tomczak, Chair of the NDB History Department, shared his thoughts and knowledge about the impeachment.

“It definitely is historic…mainly I’m interested to see how it will play out, because maybe this is just the [Government] teacher in me,” said Tomczak. “This happened because of events two weeks before his term ended and he was impeached a week before his term ended, so it’ll be interesting to follow the trial that ends up going about in the Senate and seeing what happens. It kind of made sense considering what had happened on January 6 with the Capitol and everything.”

When asked about his thoughts on the timing of this impeachment and Trump’s term ending, Tomczak answered, “So that’s the interesting question. It doesn’t seem as if the Founders had ever assumed that a president would need to or be impeached so soon, so close to his term ending…I believe there is some precedent for other federal officials, not presidents,  who have been impeached and convicted after they left office. Possibly they resigned or something, but it’s never been challenged so you can easily imagine a situation where the Senate convicts and disqualifies the president from holding office again.”

It is difficult for anyone to predict what will happen in the Senate trial, as it is unclear how its members will vote. The Senate trial is set to begin after all members of Joe Biden’s Cabinet are confirmed.