TANNER TRUAX
Special to The Leader
Donald Trump handed over the constitutional reins to Joe Biden in January, effectively ending one of the most controversial presidential elections in American history.
He spent weeks after election night claiming his presidential win was illegally stolen from him, even after several investigations into the case fell short of actually finding evidence to support his claims.
This situation came to a head at an unprecedented, historical scale when thousands of riled up supporters of the former president stormed the Capitol Building in an attempt to halt the process of confirming Biden as president-elect.
Five protestors and one police officer died in what would be only the second time Congress was attacked in such a manner, the first being by the British in 1814.
Trump took very little action to stop his followers from continuing their attack on the Capitol, taking hours to publicly respond to the situation by telling his followers to halt their destructive actions.
Congress made history after impeaching Trump for the second time in his presidential career, this time based on his past rhetoric inciting outrage across his supporters, causing the riot and his lack of action to stop the insurrection after it started.
He is the only one of three presidents to face impeachment and the only one thus far in our nation’s history to be impeached twice.
Although impeached twice, Trump managed to be acquitted, meaning he was found not guilty of the impeachment charges brought against him, both in 2018 regarding the Russian influence over the 2016 election and this year involving his role in the Capitol riots.
Since Congress failed to find him guilty of any charges, he will still enjoy the benefits any one-term former president can, including running for president again in 2024 if he wishes to.
“I think he should have been found guilty,” said Ben Santos, senior music education major.
“[Whether or not to convict] came down to the definition of incitement. The fact it came down to such nitpicking should tell us something as a nation.”
“He definitely played a role in inciting the riots that happened in the Capitol. He is not innocent of that,” said senior, Nick Couzins.
Couzins expressed his sorrow over the bloodshed that day: “Since there were lives lost, I think it was a good thing he was at least brought up to trial. Though it is unfortunate he was not convicted.”
Former president Trump and his presidency have provided hope for his following and despair for his opponents.
One thing is for certain, however, whether friend or foe, his four years in office provided many Fredonia’s students their first taste of what it’s like to live through what will someday be taught in history classes as a pivotal point in our nation’s history.