The Port Press is a publication authorized by the Northport – East Northport Union Free School District.  The articles and opinions stated in The Port Press are solely the opinions of the individual writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Northport – East Northport Union Free School District, Northport High School or any individual affiliated with such entities.

Despite how one may think I will argue (based on the format of this article), I stand strong in the belief that President Trump should not be impeached. Although he has committed actions worthy of this lengthy legal process, with the 2020 Presidential, Senate, and House Election fast approaching, it is in the best interest of House Democrats to not vote for an impeachment inquiry. In general, only a small minority of Americans will fully educate themselves about all the issues at hand when voting for a Presidential candidate. For the rest of the eligible voters who actually make it to the polls (according to the United States Census Bureau, only 53% of voting age citizens voted in the 2018 Midterm elections, a disturbingly low number, even though this is the highest it has been in four decades), their perception of the economy and how the current administration’s policies are affecting them will be the major determining factors in who they give their vote. In this way, it would be foolish for the Democrats to pursue a legal battle  that doesn’t have a substantial impact on the average American. It would be hard to convince your “Average Joe” that he and his family would have better opportunities upon President’s Trump’s removal from office. This is especially so for Democrats, as they will take issue with Vice President Mike Pence’s political ideas (Pence would assume the role of President in the event of Trump being removed from office). Therefore the Democrats should avoid wasting their energy on an impeachment inquiry, and instead focus on “kitchen counter” issues that matter to the general population. Issues that include health care, employment opportunities, and the perpetuating gun control debate. Nonetheless, this reasoning should not be confused for a denial of Donald Trump’s wrongdoings, nor sympathizing with the President and his supporters. What Donald Trump did was wrong and if the political climate were different, an impeachment inquiry would be the right option. 

There are several arguments in support of an impeachment inquiry (pretending that it would be the wise decision). According to the Whistleblower, the President of the United States of America contacted a foreign entity (President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Ukraine), asking for assistance in uncovering “dirt” surrounding Democratic Presidential Candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden and his son’s dealings with the Ukraine. If this doesn’t immediately raise red flags, there is something wrong. Not to mention, shortly after the Whistleblower released this information, Donald Trump publicly encouraged China to do what he had asked the Ukraine to do. Whether this was a joke or not is besides the point, but regardless, it indicates two things: one, if it was in fact mockery of the whole situation, it suggests that President Trump takes national security lightly (of all countries to make these comments to, China is a nation driven by fierce competition with the US and has been known to have stolen US Intellectual Property) and hasn’t learned his lesson; and two, if Donald Trump was seriously inciting Chinese intervention in a democratic process, it implies that the President is unaware of the severity of his actions and is not fit to lead this country. It is so interesting to think that just as the country was beginning to move past the Mueller Report and the varying interpretations of evidence that may have indicated obstruction of justice and possible Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election, President Trump decided to do exactly what had started the Mueller Investigation: contacting a foreign entity relating to an election. There is no doubt that Donald Trump views himself as above the law.

A common reason given by those who feel that Donald Trump has done nothing wrong is that Joe Biden may have used his power and influence to obtain an Executive Position in a Ukrainian Company for his son, Hunter. Although there is much debate about the nature of this affair and who is at fault and the amount varies depending on the source consulted, this incident should not be used as a justification for Trump’s actions. If Donald Trump was confident that the Biden’s participated in corporate malpractice in the Ukraine, he should have contacted the appropriate authorities rather than the leader of another country.

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember the following: this is not the first occasion on which President Trump has put personal interests ahead of national security and shown an incompetence and lack respect for the office. It doesn’t matter whether an impeachment inquiry is a smart political path for the Democrats to take. Between possible obstructions of justice, “fishy” ties to Russia (and the infamous meeting in Trump Tower), Donald Trump has shown countless times that he is not fit to be President of the United States.

The Port Press is a publication authorized by the Northport – East Northport Union Free School District.  The articles and opinions stated in The Port Press are solely the opinions of the individual writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Northport – East Northport Union Free School District, Northport High School or any individual affiliated with such entities.

It seems like the current motto of American politics is “another day, another impeachment attempt.” Starting with Trump’s supposed (emphasis on the word supposed) collusion with the Russian government to win the 2016 election, talks of his impeachment have grown steadily since the earliest days of his presidency. The most recent controversy to join the onslaught of anti-Trump allegations came in the form of a whistleblower complaint from somebody within the “intelligence community,” which stated that the president withheld foreign aid to the Ukraine in order to pressure them to investigate the business dealings of Joe Biden’s son in the country- a controversy you can read more about in our article linked here. But while many may be quick to presume Trump’s guilt based on the sheer number of accusations brought against him, the truth of the matter is that none of these accusations are really the fundamental motivation behind Congress’s desire to impeach the president. In reality, there is only one, very simple factor behind the Democrats’ push to remove Trump from office: they are jealous. Allow me to explain.

Take a step back in time to right before the 2016 election. Think about not necessarily who you wanted to win, but who you thought would win. Chances are you’d say Hillary Clinton. Most news outlets predicted a landslide victory, and many supporters of Clinton as a candidate already began to hail her as the US’s first female president in the weeks leading up to the election. Even current president Obama made jabs at Trump’s campaign on the Jimmy Kimmel show. Clinton’s victory was nearly guaranteed. I say nearly because, despite all odds, Donald Trump managed to pull off one of the most impressive comebacks in American political history, winning the election by 77 electoral votes. And speaking of electoral votes, the very first controversy of Trump’s presidency was due to him having won the election based on the electoral vote despite him having lost the popular vote, causing people to take to the streets in protest of a perfectly fair system that our country has had since its inception. Soon, allegations of Trump having colluded with Russia to win the election began to circulate, leading to a 674-day investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into whether or not this actually occurred. Ultimately, this investigation concluded with a resounding “no collusion” stated directly in Mueller’s report. During this time, reports also surfaced that Trump apparently committed tax fraud, leading Democrats to insist that he should hand over his tax returns, despite the fact that there is absolutely no requirement for him to do so. The sheer number of accusations that have been made (and subsequently disproven) against Trump should strongly indicate his innocence, yet the Democrats continue to maintain their firm stance on wanting the president impeached. 

Again, this whole impeachment charade comes back to jealousy. The Democrats were so sure that they would be the ones to win the election, that they couldn’t possibly anticipate or accept any other outcome. Which is a rather selfish stance to take, as it essentially seeks to disregard the natural process of democracy in this country. The people voted for Trump, the people wanted Trump as the president, but the Democrats are attempting to completely upend the election process. And speaking of the election process, I firmly believe that the Democrats’ desire to impeach Trump is motivated not only by their jealousy for Trump’s success in the 2016 presidential race, but also his impending success in the 2020 race. Even though many people think of Trump as a controversial figure- and rightfully so- he is nonetheless popular. In the first quarter of 2019, Trump raised $30.3 million dollars, which was about equal to the top two fundraising democrats (Harris and Sanders) combined. Trump’s total money on hand for his reelection bid is nearly 85 million, more than that of Sanders, Warren, and Buttgieg combined. Trump routinely holds crowds of over 10-15,000; meanwhile other democratic candidates are lucky to have these numbers more than once or twice a year, if at all. Trump has a substantial following, and the Democratic party knows this. They are aware that they run the risk of failing to win the populous over through a fair and democratic election, so they have decided to instead attempt to circumvent this process in favor of simply throwing Trump out of the race. 

Whether or not you support our current president, it isn’t hard to see that the impeachment process is more than a little ridiculous. The basis for wanting Trump out of office is loose at best, and corrupt at worst. Trump won fair and square, and disliking a candidate is not grounds for removing him from office. Ultimately, the Democrats will likely do nothing more than make themselves look silly by carrying on with the impeachment process- something that may once again contribute to them losing the bid for the oval office next year.