Today, the worst part of the Trump nightmare will be over. Trump will be replaced as president by Joe Biden who will be sworn in at the Capitol at noon. Security for the event will be the greatest the nation has ever seen involving some 25,000 National Guard personnel. That number apparently does not include multiple police forces who will help assure that no attempt at violence will disrupt the swearing-in.
The ceremony will be held just two weeks after a White supremacist mob ravaged the Capitol at Trump’s behest. According to the New York Times, “A mob, incited by the president of the United States, stormed the halls of Congress in an effort to prevent it from certifying the president’s electoral defeat. During the attack, the mob killed a police officer and went looking for members of Congress.” Four other people died during the mêlée.
The House of Representatives impeached Trump for egging on his followers to attack Congress and prevent validation of Biden’s election. The Senate will decide whether to convict him after he has left office. Meanwhile, corporations and businesses have stopped contributions to the Republicans who support Trump, Facebook and Twitter no longer allow him to use their services. And some Republicans have joined ranks with Democrats to convict him.
This series of events elicits two observations from me. First, Trump and his Republican supporters have brought the U.S. to a new low. We are shamed before the world. We are so damaged that it will take considerable time and work for our country to resume leadership of the western democracies.
Second, the Trump nightmare will continue as long as he is a free man able to continue his stream of lies and to disclose classified information. A sizeable portion of the U.S. population still believes Trump’s claim that he won the November election, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And Trump has detailed knowledge of the country’s most secret data, both defense and intelligence. He could reveal that information to the nation’s foes in revenge for his election defeat.
My guess is that Trump will shortly be indicted for various crimes and may end up in prison. For the good of the nation, I pray that he does not escape unscathed. He continues to pose a threat to our country. We must stop him.
Tom Glenn, Writer 