Trump's impeachment trial a political game for both parties

Trucks with LED screens displaying anti-Trump messages are seen parked along 7th street as the sunsets over the U.S. Capitol Building, in Washington, D.C., February 8, 2021. /Getty

Editor's note: Andrew Korybko is a Moscow-based American political analyst. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Former President Donald J. Trump's ongoing impeachment trial is all about politics. The Democrats claim that they want to hold him accountable, while most Republicans believe that it's nothing more than a witch hunt. Both parties are right, but they're also wrong too.

Americans need answers about everything that transpired on January 6 during the unprecedented storming of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob that was allegedly inspired by his fiery speech right before that fateful event unfolded.

At the same time, however, there's a lingering impression that this is all about intimidating the majority of his peaceful supporters by making him a martyr.

As such, there's no doubt that the trial is inherently political. The Democrats hope to portray Trump as an insurrection-inspiring madman in order to save face for all the times they cried wolf about his mental stability and alleged treason over the past four years.

Their intent isn't just to shape Americans' perceptions about their former president, but to also dissuade them from politically associating with the Republican Party during the midterm elections and the next presidential one.

The idea is that the stigma attached to the GOP might be so terrible that there's no chance they'll ever regain power, thus perpetuating Democrat rule.

From the Republican perspective, the opposite motivations are in play. Most of them except for those who broke ranks with the party on this issue want to present Trump as the victim of a Democrat conspiracy.

While acknowledging that his comments on January 6 might have been a tad too extreme, they defend his right to the freedom of speech and deny that he's an insurrection-inspiring madman.

They hope to convince Americans of the Democrats' alleged political motivations in order to reassure them of their own patriotism and thus make them question their opponents. This is expected to help them during the next elections.

With these contradictory drivers in place, one can naturally conclude that both parties have an interest in influencing the future outcome of the next two nationwide democratic processes in 2022 and 2024.

Each of them if trying their utmost to exploit the country's deep-seated partisan divides for their interests. Neither of them is serious about unity and reconciliation like they claim.

After all, it's impossible for them to be since Trump's impeachment trial is inherently political for the earlier explained reasons. It's a dilemma for both parties since the fateful events of January 6 made it impossible to ignore what happened.

House impeachment managers walk through the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., February 9, 2021. /Getty

The Democrats had to push for impeachment in order to save face after their prior attempts to remove him from office for comparatively less serious alleged crimes failed. Even though he's no longer in the White House, they want voters to remember that he's responsible for what happened according to them even if he isn't convicted.

The Republicans, meanwhile, have no choice but to defend him if they want any hope of ever winning back Congress or the White House. This is the case even though some of them reportedly disagree with Trump's incendiary words from that day. Both parties are therefore playing politics.

Considering how deeply divided America is at the moment, it's unlikely that any of this will get the average person to change their mind about whether Trump is guilty of "inciting insurrection." All that they'll do is intensify their partisan sentiment regardless of the outcome. It's impossible to please both sides of this dispute.

The best that can happen is if responsible people reflect on how both parties directly contributed to the country's dangerous division. The Democrats always attacked Trump even when it wasn't justified, whereas the Republicans always defended him even for arguably indefensible things like some of his crude Twitter remarks.

It was always about politics and power for each party, never truly about the American people themselves, who are only paid attention to ahead of the elections.

This time, however, the 2024 election season began right after the 2020 ended due to the unprecedented outcome of the vote and all that followed. Instead of receiving a hoped for reprieve from the incessant political manipulation that they were exposed to over the past year, the American people are being forced to endure it for the indefinite future. This might understandably influence some to become increasingly apathetic as they tune out from political life to get some much-needed rest.

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