Trump, Having Survived Impeachment Crisis, Begins Unstoppable Reelection Campaign

Romney's Defection Leads to Senate Impeachment Bill Rejection
'Strongman' Begins Active Moves
Trump to Announce Position from White House
Severe National Division Expected to Continue

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The impeachment motion against U.S. President Donald Trump over the 'Ukraine scandal' was ultimately rejected by the U.S. Senate on the 5th (local time). The impeachment drama surrounding President Trump, which had heated up U.S. politics for the past four months, ended with this vote. As expected, the Senate impeachment process concluded quietly, allowing President Trump to begin his full-fledged campaign as a 'strongman' for re-election.

On that day, the U.S. Senate held a plenary session in the afternoon and voted separately on two articles of impeachment against President Trump?abuse of power and obstruction of Congress?both of which were rejected by votes of 52-48 and 53-47, respectively. This came about 20 days after the impeachment motion was transferred to the Senate on the 15th of last month, and 49 days after the House of Representatives approved the impeachment.

Senator Mitt Romney (Republican), who had previously expressed support for the impeachment, defected before the vote, but the Republican-controlled Senate could not be overturned.

President Trump, having passed the impeachment process safely following the special counsel investigation into the Russia scandal that began shortly after his inauguration, has secured political leadership in the final year of his term. He has also laid the groundwork for a full-fledged campaign for re-election.

In particular, immediately after the impeachment motion was rejected, President Trump posted a meaningful video on Twitter as if he had been waiting for the moment to express his position. In this video, President Trump is depicted as a president for centuries on the cover of Time magazine. At the end of the video, the phrase "Trump 4EVA (Forever)," which can be interpreted as "Eternal Trump," appears.

President Trump had also released this video last year. The online media Washington Examiner analyzed that President Trump posted the video to mock his political rivals who failed to impeach him, but it can also be interpreted as a strong indication of President Trump's determination for re-election.

◆Impact on the November Election= Immediate attention is focused on President Trump's re-election campaign. He is scheduled to announce his position on the impeachment rejection at the White House on the afternoon of the 6th. At this event, he is expected to signal the start of his full-scale election campaign and declare a challenge to the Democratic Party.

The White House also emphasized in a spokesperson's statement that "President Trump has successfully promoted America's interests and focused on issues important to Americans," adding, "The President looks forward to continuing his work for the people in 2020 and beyond." This suggests that President Trump is already looking ahead to his post-presidency.

In his State of the Union address the previous night, President Trump declared the "Return of Great America," listing achievements in the economy, security, and trade, resembling an election campaign. He also received overwhelming support at the Iowa caucus on the 3rd.

AP News reported that President Trump, acquitted in the impeachment trial, is racing into the re-election battle, buoyed by Republican unity centered around him, favorable poll numbers, and turmoil in the Democratic primary.

However, CNN forecasted that "although the impeachment trial is over, aftershocks will shake the United States," and despite the Senate's acquittal, "America's national nightmare is not over." It predicted that the severe confrontation and division among U.S. political forces caused by the impeachment process will continue for a considerable time.

The division was starkly revealed in the previous day's State of the Union address. President Trump ignored House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's handshake request, and in response, Speaker Pelosi dramatically tore up the speech transcript after President Trump's address. The conflict between the two, which has persisted since the Democrats took control of the House and Pelosi assumed the speakership, has deepened into an irreparable emotional rift due to the impeachment, and this situation is expected to continue into the election. Speaker Pelosi is also unlikely to simply watch President Trump's unilateral actions. The Washington Post predicted that "Pelosi has already found the clues to 'post-impeachment' politics," forecasting continued offensives. Senator Bernie Sanders criticized on the same day, saying, "Acquitting Trump sets a dangerous precedent that will allow future presidents to abuse power."

◆Increased Possibility of Attempts to Change North Korea Relations= With President Trump out of the impeachment crisis, the possibility of attempts to change relations with North Korea, which had been dormant for some time, has increased. For President Trump, diplomatic achievements with North Korea are necessary, but he also faces the challenge of managing North Korea until re-election. At present, it is more likely that he will focus on maintaining the status quo rather than provoking North Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.