It’s hard to understand the reasons 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 traveled on his plane to his Sea-to-Lake club in Palm Beach. His style, shapes and conversation did not make a good impression on me. So when he was elected president in 2016, I told myself that Americans had made a serious mistake.
What happened yesterday at the Capitol did not surprise me. For four years, his attacks on the press, insults and arrogance marked his management. However, this fact led to me asking numerous questions. Why was the Capitol not protected? Where were the police forces, the security forces and the national guard? Why were the Capitol assailants all white and some of them carrying the Confederate flag? I noticed the passivity of the police forces inside the Capitol and their small number.
Seeing Senator Josh Hawley walk toward the Capitol with his fist raised and at the same time listen to the incendiary speeches of Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump Fill was baffling. I wondered what the purpose of the insurgents was. Clearly, they sought to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the Electoral College proclaiming Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
I heard the president-elect try to calm down and unify the nation. Later, Donald Trump reiterated that there was electoral fraud and publicly stated that he supported and loved the insurgents. In my opinion this statement was a disgrace to this nation. In the following hours there was a notable absence of political leadership and security forces. The facts told me it was an insurrection promoted by President Donald Trump and some close collaborators who, in one form or another, were looking for a way to give a hit.
The reality in this case can be summarized as follows.
1- Trump pressured the vice president to exercise his power and not approve in the Senate the certification that Joe Biden had won.
2- Trump instructed 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 the U.S. leadership will do to prevent further damage to that country’s credibility and to prevent the situation from getting worse. There are several scenarios that have been presented:
a- Invoke amendment 25 of the constitution and declare the president incapable of holding office. I don’t think this scenario is possible because the cabinet and Vice President Mike Pence would not approve of it.
b- To make a political judgment (Impeachment) to the president via the congress. I consider this option impractical, as it would take a long time.
c Try to isolate and restrict the actions that the president can take. This initiative would be very difficult to execute.
d- Convince or perhaps force the president to resign. The latter is the most viable and perhaps the best option for Trump.
I’m worried about what might happen in the remaining days left for Trump to be replaced. He would be able to further complicate the political situation. In addition, it should be noted that as commander in chief of the armed forces he has the code that would allow him to launch a nuclear attack. It is prudent to consider Trump as a desperate man at this time, and therefore there is enormous uncertainty about what he can still do.
U.S. 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 has degraded in the United States of America. This country that served as a democratic model and was erected as a judge and part of the political process in other countries and especially in Latin America; today it is placed as what they themselves contemptuously called ” Banana Republics ”.
The author was ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the United States of America