Impeachment is a required step in negating 45’s damage

Donald Trump’s presidency has been a controversial one. Now, all presidencies are controversial; it’s not hard to recall the aftermath of the Obama election and even George Washington had people who wanted him out of office. But with the recent controversy regarding Syrian airstrikes, we are again left to ask: should Donald Trump be impeached?

Impeachment is the act of charging the holder of a public office with misconduct. Most often, it’s judges who get impeached, though there have been a few Presidents, the most recent being Bill Clinton who was charged with perjury. The debate on Donald Trump’s presidency has been going on since before he was even in office. Then, Democrats said Trump wouldn’t make it through his first 100 days without being forced to leave office. Now, they say he still needs to go.

One of the reasons Democrats have wanted impeachment since Trump was elected is his refusal to completely give up his corporation, The Trump Organization, which includes Trump’s 500 separate businesses. The Emoluments Clause is a section of Article I in the US Constitution that states, “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”

Basically, the government and government officials cannot accept gifts or money for services from a foreign nation without the approval of Congress. The Trump Organization can therefore no longer rent out its ballrooms to foreign embassies or rent office space in Trump Tower to a state-controlled Chinese bank, which it does. While Trump reluctantly relinquished management of his companies to his sons, he still owns the businesses. This exchange of money for services between a foreign nation and a government official is an infringement of the Emoluments Clause.

Trump continues to breach international law with his missile attack on Syrian forces. The only times one country can use force on another country without its consent, as set by The United Nations Charter, is when the attack is given permission by the Security Council and when the attack is for self-defense. The Syria attack lead by Trump was not approved and was “intended to deter the regime from using chemical weapons again,” according to the Department of Defense. The attack was also carried out without the approval of Congress. This is only allowed when the United States is under attack.

Many of the other countries around the world see our president as a fool and see the administration as a train wreck; they’re not exactly wrong, either. By taking Trump out of office, the US can show that we are strong enough to own up to our mistakes and change for the better of our county.