Commentary: Trump Continues to Tighten Republicans | Comments | DW

Freedom of expression is a great advantage. For individuals, journalists and of course politicians too. In a free society, it must be possible to offend the opinion of the individual, and to argue against the ruling opinion without risking punishment for it. It is also true that many parliamentary seats would be empty if every politician was removed from office as soon as he was found guilty of lying.

But contrary to what advocates for Donald Trump have argued, this trial was not intended to protect freedom of expression, but no less than to defend the future of American democracy.

The storming of the Capitol was extremely dangerous

For years, President Trump destroyed the credibility of American political institutions with impunity and undermined confidence in free elections and thus the core of every democracy. Motivated by the absolute will to come to power, he continued to spread the lie that the election was stolen when more than 60 judges, including many of his appointees, asserted that he had won the presidential election against Joe Biden by more than seven million votes. Lost.

The populist smear campaign reached its sad climax on January 6, 2021, when its supporters called for final verification of Disrupting the presidential elections and storming the Senate building. Even if it was clear from the start that it would be really difficult to condemn Donald Trump, the Democrats could not help but go into impeachment.

Last but not least, their video evidence to the Senate over the past few days showed just how dangerous this storm really is for the Capitol Building. In the end, it was only the courage of individual police officers that prevented prominent politicians, including then-Vice President Mike Pence, from literally falling victim to the mob. Five people lost their lives On this day. And there could have been many. And firstSome US presidents could have been responsible for exactly that.

It is a shame that Trump is not held accountable

It is a shame not to be held accountable for this. The fact that these photos got some Republican voters to think, but not the overwhelming majority of Senators, is all cause for concern.

The outcome of these actions illustrates how much Donald Trump continues to keep the Republican Party in check. How concerned are MPs that they will be punished by Trump supporters if they place the law above their power.

What could have become a liberation blow ends up cementing division in this country. For the international community, this is a clear indication of how busy the United States will be in the coming years.