On February 9th, Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial began. House Democrats argued that his rhetoric in a speech from January 6th incited the violence outside (and inside) the Capitol later that day during a joint session to certify President Biden’s victory. Trump had been arguing that the election was fraudulent for months, despite numerous court cases proving otherwise. His supporters believed his misinformation and some of them broke into the Capitol in an effort to save his dying presidency. President Trump’s legal team consisted of David Schoen, Michael Van Der Veen, and Bruce Castor, an Abington native. They argued that the impeachment was both unconstitutional and merely political.

In a vote on the afternoon of February 13th, 57 Senators found him guilty, 10 shy of the 67 needed to convict him. Although few people expected 17 of the 50 Republican senators to find him guilty, 7 of them did, along with the 50 other Democrats. Had the Senate found Trump guilty, he would be unable to run for president again which is particularly significant since some political pundits speculated that he may in 2024. Additionally, President Trump would have lost his lifetime pension, an annual travel budget, and funding for an office and staff. President Trump was impeached last February as well, but the Senate found not guilty then as well.