Split-screen moment: Trump decries Democrats at Michigan rally as House votes on impeachment
WASHINGTON – In a historic split-screen moment President Donald Trump blasted Democrats at a Michigan campaign rally Wednesday as the House of Representatives voted to impeach him.
“This lawless partisan impeachment is a political suicide march for the Democrat party,” he told the crowd. “Have you seen my polls in the last four weeks?”
Trump took the stage in Battle Creek, Michigan, home of the American cereal brand Kellogg, as the House concluded an exhaustive day of debate over two articles of impeachment against him.
Trump is accused of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading 2020 Democratic contender, and obstructing Congress by directing his aides not to cooperate with an investigation into the matter.
The House voted on both articles of impeachment largely along party lines with all Republicans united behind Trump, underscoring the deep partisan divide on Capitol Hill and across the country.
Trump mentioned the vote in his speech, noting that three Democrats voted against his impeachment, which drew roars from the audience.
“I don’t know about you but I’m having a good time,” he told the crowd. “I’m not worried.”
Trump became only the third president to be impeached in U.S. history. The Republican-led Senate will now hold a trial to determine whether to convict and remove Trump from office, but he’s expected to be acquitted.
He appeared in a buoyant mood on stage, touting his economic record and low unemployment before taking a shot at former 2016 rival Hillary Clinton.
“I had the greatest economy in the history of this country and nobody talks about it,” he said. “If crooked Hillary would’ve won, your economy would’ve crashed. You were going down.”
But he grew increasingly angry throughout his speech, saying the Russia and the Ukraine investigations were based on dishonesty and illegality that ranged from the “fake dossier” – a reference to ex-British spy Christopher Steele’s reports alleging links between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives – to accounts of his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which sparked the impeachment crisis.
At one point, Trump bragged about firing ex-FBI Director James Comey: “Did I do a great job when I fired his ass?”
He also mocked Russia Special Counsel Robert Mueller: “How was his performance in front of Congress?”
The event marks Trump’s fourth visit to Michigan since he took office and his second campaign rally in a battleground state this month. Trump won in Michigan by less than 11,000 votes in 2016. The congressional district is also home to Rep. Justin Amash, an independent who left the Republican party earlier this year and voted for impeachment.
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