The spectre of Trump still hangs over the Republican Party – of that there is no doubt

The end of the former president’s impeachment shows how split the GOP is, writes Chris Stevenson

Mitch McConnell’s speech upset a number of Democrats (Getty)

Donald Trump’s impeachment ended up exactly where the majority thought it would – with the former president acquitted, but the political divide between the Republicans and the Democrats as entrenched as ever.

For the Democrats, a 57-43 vote in favour of conviction on the incitement of insurrection charge marks a victory of sorts, with a number of GOP members being convinced to actually vote against Trump. It may have fallen short of the two-thirds of the Senate needed to allow a vote on banning Trump from holding office in future, but Democrats will take it.

It was the conduct of the minority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, that seemed to really stick in the throat of many. The Republican said that the former president’s conduct preceding the events at the US Capitol on 6 January amounted to a “disgraceful dereliction of duty” – adding that he found Trump “practically, and morally, responsible for provoking the events of the day”.

Saying that it was not for the Senate to judge the morals of the president – a statement you could likely argue with – McConnell added: “President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he’s in office ... He didn’t get away with anything yet.”

Chris Coons, a Democrat senator from Delaware, suggested in the aftermath that a potential backlash at the ballot box stopped more Republicans voting to convict. “I’m fairly certain there would have been a vote to convict with a secret ballot,” he told ABC’s This Week. And there is no doubt that the GOP does not seem to know which way to turn as Trump continues to make his presence felt even outside of the White House.

It is an important moment for US politics, as President Joe Biden also acknowledged after the vote. “This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile,” he said in a statement. “That we must be ever vigilant … Each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.”

The fragility is due to make for a fractious few weeks (and months), as Washington continues to try and put itself back together after that assault on the Capitol – there is sure to be plenty to keep an eye on.

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Voices editor