Impeachment: How safe is Trump in the saddle?
The Democrats have presented the charges necessary for impeachment: President Trump must answer for abuse of power and obstruction of Parliament's investigation. He is said to have urged Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son. Commentators doubt the chances of success of an impeachment.
Storm cloud over the election campaign
The Süddeutsche Zeitung gets the impression that the Democrats just want to put the proceedings behind them as quickly as possible:
“Why? There will be elections in America soon. And the Democrats have miscalculated. Exposing Trump's illegal tricks hasn't led to a solid majority of the population turning against him, not to mention the Republicans, who remain steadfastly loyal. Instead, the impeachment is hanging like a storm cloud over the Democrats' election campaign. The sooner it disappears, the better. To show that they are not vengeful obstructionists, the Democrats are even backing Trump's new trade deal with Canada and Mexico, thus handing a victory to the man they describe as so dangerous for America that he must be thrown out of office. This follows a logic all of its own.”
Democrats taking a huge risk
The Democrats are taking a big risk with the impeachment proceedings, Phileftheros points out:
“The US president is casting himself as a victim and talking of a 'witch hunt'. ... This message has also been passed on to a large part of the public, which seems divided. According to surveys half of the US population is against an impeachment, while the other half is in favour. So the Democrats are making a big gamble. Most likely Donald Trump will not be forced out of office. Firstly because the decision depends on the Republican Party, which controls the Senate, and secondly because the process is mobilising the party's voters. And they will have the last word.”
Trump's voter base remains loyal
De Tijd also considers it unlikely that Trump will actually be impeached:
“For Trump, the most important question is whether the damage to his image will be so great that he loses part of his electorate. That's possible, but the chaotic and unpredictable president has already made even stranger moves and yet managed to maintain the support of his voter base. So it's entirely possible that he will also survive these proceedings. Clinton also only became more popular after the impeachment proceedings against him. Those who want to get rid of Trump as president must adopt a different approach: namely winning the election in November 2020. But despite their opponent that won't be an easy task.”