Update: Donald Trump has been impeached. The next step? A trial in the Senate.
On Wednesday, Dec. 18, the entire House of Representatives gathered to view and debate two articles of impeachment against Trump: one for abuse of power and the second for subsequently obstructing Congress’s investigation. Late Wednesday evening, the House voted to impeach Trump, though this still doesn’t mean he will actually be removed from office—instead, it means that we move forward to the Senate. Either way, today is a pretty historic one.
You know what’s a great way to see history-making politics? Look at how people are memorializing some of the most viral moments on Twitter. Before we get into today’s impeachment coverage, it’s worth backtracking and checking out the most viral photos and videos from Impeachment Eve rallies Tuesday night. Hundreds of thousands of people rallied across the nation in support of Trump being impeached. The posts are nothing short of inspiring.
To start off, let’s look at what Trump himself tweeted about the day’s proceedings. Then let’s dig into coverage of both Democrats and Republicans (and one often-discussed Independent), as well as some Twitter snark.
There have been dozens of retweets from Trump this morning, but the two tweets which stand out the most are as follows—and yes, one includes insulting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, because of course, he did.
Here’s that jab at Pelosi.
Which is a great time to share the viral clip of Pelosi’s opening statement.
And particular attention for her quoting the late Rep. Elijah Cummings.
Republicans pulled out all of the stops, including Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican from Georgia, suggesting that Jesus was treated more fairly than Trump.
Here’s that quote, which yes, he did say on the House floor.
“When Jesus was falsely accused of Treason,” Loudermilk stated, “Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers. During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than Democrats have afforded this president in this process.”
Pearl Harbor Day even got dragged into this by Republicans. Rep. Mike Kelly, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said the day will live in “infamy.” He made a similar statement in 2012 when speaking about birth control, by the way.
“On Dec. 7, 1941, a horrific act happened in the United States, and it’s one that President Roosevelt said, this is a date that will live in infamy,” Kelly began. “Today, Dec. 18, 2019, is another day that will live in infamy.”
People are not thrilled with the performance from Republicans today.
Of course, things went back to Hillary Clinton one way or another. This time, thanks to Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, using a vote that suggests Trump won a lot more [popular] votes than he actually did.
Rep. Roger Marshall from Kansas also mentioned Hillary, suggesting that Democrats are just bitter that she isn’t president.
Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler of New York also brought up Hillary, reminding the American public that Pence would replace Trump, not Hillary. Of course, all of these Hillary mentions are empty distractions.
Rep. Steve King, a Republican from Iowa and overall ghoul argued that Trump should not be removed and instead tried to blame former Vice President Joe Biden.
Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican from Arizona, accused Democrats of “tearing families apart” because of the impeachment. Mind you, as Daily Kos frequently covers, actual families are being torn apart.
In terms of hyperbole, though, Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas, takes the cake by saying the country’s “end is now in sight” because of the impeachment vote. This might not be terribly surprising if you’ve followed our previous reporting on him being, one might say, “America’s dumbest Congressman.”
Rep. Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia, briefly and swiftly went viral because of his use of the word ‘irregardless.’
All humor aside, a lot of people are pointing out that this is a somber day. And how bizarre it is in a lot of ways, politically speaking.
Democrats are tweeting their support for the impeachment, some with videos right from the House floor.
That includes Rep. Val Demings of Florida:
Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts gave a powerful statement, noting that Congress “will not tolerate abuses of power.”
And Rep. Karen Bass from California:
And Rep. Joe Kennedy from Massachusetts, who talked about his children:
Rep. Katherine Clark, also from Massachusetts:
Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee:
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries from New York got a lot of praise on social media:
As did Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia:
Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin correctly stressed that today’s vote shouldn’t be partisan.
Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas:
Rep. Ted Lieu of California had a short and sweet zinger, noting, “No one in America could do what Donald Trump did and get away with it.”
Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida:
Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida.
Rep. John Lewis of Georgia was incredibly moving, noting, “We have a mission, we have a mandate to be on the right side of history.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio has a statement available.
Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois noted today is a good day for our Constitution.
Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas pointed out the evidence is “uncontested.”
Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, formerly a Republican and now an independent, stressed the lack of partisan lines here.
Progressives are taking time to thank Amash, too.
Oh, Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Here is his full statement.
In an amazing contrast, a clip from House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, including him quoting Alexander Hamilton.
Rep. Maxine Waters absolutely shone.
Here’s that clip.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut also made a splash on social media.
As did Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California.
Rep. Jim Jordan repeated much of what had already been said by other Republicans. Nothing too new, but here’s his clip.
Rep. Devin Nunes covered the usual bases on Hillary Clinton, Ukraine, hoaxes, and, somehow, also decided to use some of his few minutes to mention the alleged “nude pictures” of Trump.
Here’s that whole moment.
In contrast to the above rambles, Rep. Demings was an absolute powerhouse. In a brief period, she really laid out the evidence.
Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland offered some excellent points and referenced Rep. Amash. Here are some of his clips.
Collins reappeared and took time to air out his grievances, filled with anger and blame at Democrats.
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy came up next, talking about votes, “trials and tribulations,” and literally ended with “God bless America.”
And last but not least, Schiff gave a closing statement for Democrats which earned a round of applause. Then, votes on each article.
But Trump has, as we’re now all being reminded, talked about impeachment in the past. For example, in 2014 when he spoke to Fox News and discussed how embarrassing it would have been for former President Barack Obama, had he been impeached. Here’s that clip.
To round things off, a now-viral clip of Trump, as a private citizen at the time, saying it would have been “wonderful” if Pelosi had impeached George W. Bush.