It is difficult to understand the motives that led Americans to choose a president like Donald Trump. Between 2002 and 2004 I had the experience of meeting Trump in person and on one occasion I flew his plane to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach. His style, way of working and conversation did not make a good impression on me. So when he was elected president in 2016, I told myself the Americans had made a serious mistake.
What happened at the Capitol yesterday didn’t surprise me. For four years, his attacks on the press, insults and arrogance characterized his government. However, this fact raised many questions. Why wasn’t the Capitol protected? Where were the police, the security forces and the national guard? Why were the Capitol raiders all white and some carrying the Confederate flag? I noticed the inaction of the police in the Capitol and their small numbers.
It was disturbing to see Senator Josh Hawley walking to the Capitol with a raised fist as he listened to the inflammatory speeches of Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump Jr. I wondered what the insurgents’ purpose was. Clearly, they were trying to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College results that declared Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election.
I heard the president-elect try to calm and unite the nation. Donald Trump later reiterated that there was electoral fraud and stated publicly that he supported and loved the insurgents. In my opinion, that statement was disgraceful to that country. In the hours that followed, there was a remarkable absence of political leadership and security forces. The facts told me it was an uprising promoted by President Donald Trump and some close associates who were somehow looking for a way to commit a self-coup.
The reality in this case can be summarized as follows.
1- Trump pressured the Vice President to exercise his power and not approve the certification Joe Biden had won in the Senate.
2- Trump ordered his followers to occupy the Capitol.
3- Trump refused to order the National Guard to go to the Capitol to remove the insurgents.
I don’t know what US leaders will do to prevent further damage to that country’s credibility and to keep the situation from getting worse. Several scenarios have been presented:
a. Request Amendment 25 to the Constitution and declare the President unable to exercise his office. I don’t think this scenario is possible because the Cabinet and Vice President Mike Pence wouldn’t approve.
b- Make a political trial (impeachment) to the president through a congress. I find this option impractical because it would take a long time.
c- Try to isolate and limit the actions that the president can take. This initiative would be very difficult to implement.
d- Convince or perhaps force the president to resign. The latter is the most viable and arguably the best option for Trump.
I am concerned about what could happen in the remaining days when Trump needs to be replaced. He could complicate the political situation even more. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, he has the code to conduct a nuclear attack. It is wise to think of Trump as a desperate man now, which is why there is great uncertainty as to what he can do next.
The US authorities and institutions must act quickly so that all those involved in these actions are punished according to their laws. The reality is that power in the United States of America has deteriorated. That country which has served as a democratic model and which has established itself as a judge and is part of the political processes in other countries and especially in Latin America; today it stands as what they themselves disdainfully called “Banana Republics.”
The author was the Dominican Republic’s ambassador to the United States of America