A smooth transition of power in the United States is more likely following President Trump’s public condemnation of the mob that attacked Capitol Hill.
That is the view of Dr Clodagh Harrington, Associate Professor of American Politics at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), after a video statement last night by President Trump in which he called for “healing” following the violence at the Capitol which left five dead, including a police officer.
President Trump has been blamed by many for inciting the mob to protest the election results. They had attended his rally before storming the Washington building and he had made claims the election results had not been counted properly.
Calls have been made for the vice-president Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment to deem Trump unfit for office, and there have also been threats of a second impeachment to remove him from the White House.
Dr Harrington said: “I think probably, now that Donald Trump has woken up and seen what the potential consequences are of this rhetoric, that there is a sense of ‘the cold light of day’ which has led to this change in tone and words.
“He now faces two possible routes out – another impeachment or going via the 25th Amendment, those were probably sobering consequences for him. If he has his eye on 2024, he needs to in some way keep clean in order to be able to come back.”
Dr Harrington said the 25th Amendment was an emergency legislation which would require Trump’s own cabinet to say he was unfit for office. His vice-president, Mike Pence, would have to back it and become a stand-in president for the days leading up to the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden.
She said: “It is very much an ‘in case of emergency break glass’ law, but I do not think that vice-president Pence would support that. He has been loyal to Trump and he may favour just getting through these next two weeks.
“The end is nigh for Trump and the good thing, if there is some good news from this, is that with the Democrats winning in Georgia, the Biden/Harris administration can meaningfully push forward their agenda from day one. That is the bigger picture.”
President-elect Joe Biden has described Trump’s actions as “insurrection”. He is due to be sworn in as the new president on January 20.
A smooth transition of power in the United States is more likely following President Trump’s public condemnation of the mob that attacked Capitol Hill.
That is the view of Dr Clodagh Harrington, Associate Professor of American Politics at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), after a video statement last night by President Trump in which he called for “healing” following the violence at the Capitol which left five dead, including a police officer.
President Trump has been blamed by many for inciting the mob to protest the election results. They had attended his rally before storming the Washington building and he had made claims the election results had not been counted properly.
Calls have been made for the vice-president Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment to deem Trump unfit for office, and there have also been threats of a second impeachment to remove him from the White House.
Dr Harrington said: “I think probably, now that Donald Trump has woken up and seen what the potential consequences are of this rhetoric, that there is a sense of ‘the cold light of day’ which has led to this change in tone and words.
“He now faces two possible routes out – another impeachment or going via the 25th Amendment, those were probably sobering consequences for him. If he has his eye on 2024, he needs to in some way keep clean in order to be able to come back.”
Dr Harrington said the 25th Amendment was an emergency legislation which would require Trump’s own cabinet to say he was unfit for office. His vice-president, Mike Pence, would have to back it and become a stand-in president for the days leading up to the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden.
She said: “It is very much an ‘in case of emergency break glass’ law, but I do not think that vice-president Pence would support that. He has been loyal to Trump and he may favour just getting through these next two weeks.
“The end is nigh for Trump and the good thing, if there is some good news from this, is that with the Democrats winning in Georgia, the Biden/Harris administration can meaningfully push forward their agenda from day one. That is the bigger picture.”
President-elect Joe Biden has described Trump’s actions as “insurrection”. He is due to be sworn in as the new president on January 20.
Posted on Friday 8 January 2021