A Complete Analysis Of Trump’s 159th Unpresidented Week As POTUS

In their acquittal of President Trump, Republicans put a rubber stamp on authoritarianism and emboldened the most undemocratic President in modern history.
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by: Ahmed Baba on February 9, 2020

President Donald J. Trump receives a standing ovation as he arrives to deliver remarks to the nation in response to his acquittal in the United States Senate impeachment trial Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)

President Donald J. Trump receives a standing ovation as he arrives to deliver remarks to the nation in response to his acquittal in the United States Senate impeachment trial Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)

Trump’s first major typo after winning the election was spelling Unprecedented incorrectly. He infamously tweeted “Unpresidented.” This typo is emblematic of his administration: An impulsive, frantically thrown together group of characters with virtually no oversight. After Trump was sworn in, I started writing the weekly “Unpresidented” column, analyzing every week of his presidency. This is week 159.

This week can only be described as dystopian. The Republican Party has embraced the outcome of their decades-long erosion of norms. In their acquittal of President Trump, they have openly put a rubber stamp on authoritarianism and emboldened the most undemocratic President in modern history.

On Tuesday night’s State of the Union, President Trump, who was just impeached and had his corrupt Ukraine extortion plot exposed for months, was being applauded by the GOP like all was fine. President Trump’s speech was filled with lies worth about as much as the paper Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) ripped in half as it came to an end. Republicans who couldn’t find their righteous indignation when families were torn apart at the border clutched their pearls at a piece of torn paper.

On Wednesday, with the exception of Mitt Romney who stood bravely on the right side of history, Senate Republicans acquitted President Trump for abuses of power they admit he is guilty of. Roughly one hour after they acquitted him for extorting Ukraine to announce a probe of the Bidens, Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson announced a probe of the Bidens.

On Thursday, President Trump delivered depraved remarks in the East Room of the White House by announcing what can only be called an enemies list and thanking those who aided his coverup. Trump called Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff “horrible” “evil” people and promised retribution against those who moved to impeach him. He wasted no time in doing just that.

On Friday, President Trump fired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, his brother, and Ambassador Gordon Sondland from their current posts. While Trump’s allies tried to claim this wasn’t retaliation for the fact Vindman and Sondland were impeachment witnesses, the fact Vindman’s brother was targeted as well undermines that claim.

By the weekend, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he spoke to Attorney General William Barr who said he has an open channel with Rudy Giuliani through which he can receive “information” on his dirt-digging campaign in Ukraine.

What we’re seeing is a fast-paced descent into outright authoritarianism. President Trump is continuing his habit of committing exceedingly corrupt acts directly after he feels he’s been let off the hook. The day after the Mueller hearings, he called Ukranian President Zelensky and demanded the Biden probe. Only one hour after President Trump was acquitted for this plot, Senate Republicans delivered on this demand.

Republican Senator Susan Collins said Trump learned his lesson after being impeached. It appears the only lesson he’s learned is that when you’re a Republican, lawmakers in your party will let you do anything no matter how corrupt.

It appears the only mechanism through which to hold President Trump accountable will be the upcoming election, which will already be under siege by Russian disinformation, Trump disinformation, and voter suppression efforts. The road ahead is tough, but we can do it if we all mobilize.

Let’s dive into yet another Unpresidented week

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Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

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Day 1,111: Tuesday, February 4

Tuesday’s top stories:

Republicans Acquit Trump, But Romney Stands Strong

Day 1,112: Wednesday, February 5

Wednesday’s top stories:

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Day 1,113: Thursday, February 6

President Donald J. Trump, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

President Donald J. Trump, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Thursday’s top stories:

Retaliation Against Vindman And Sondland

Day 1,114: Friday, February 7

Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a military officer at the National Security Council, departs a closed door meeting after testifying as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a military officer at the National Security Council, departs a closed door meeting after testifying as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Friday’s top stories:

Unpresidented // Donald Trump / Impeachment / Republican Party
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by: Ahmed Baba

Ahmed Baba is the Co-Founder and President of Rantt. Writer of Unpresidented, Ahmed documented and analyzed every day of the Trump presidency. He's also a columnist at The Independent and his work has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, The New York Post, The Huffington Post, Yahoo News, Blavity, Newsweek, The Telegraph, and more. He can be reached at [email protected] or found on Twitter @AhmedBaba_.

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