President Donald Trump was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on Dec. 18 by the House of Representatives.

Trump was accused of pressuring Ukraine into pursuing an investigation on former vice president and democratic candidate Joe Biden by withholding military aid money. Democrats found Pentagon emails which proved Trump had directed the hold on Ukraine aid, according to Aljazeera.

On Feb. 5, the Senate came together to vote on Trump’s two impeachment charges.  He was acquitted of both of them. This trial ends the third impeachment trial in American history, according to The New York Times.

Trump will stay in office until the end of the current term and will be up for re-election in November 2020. For Trump to have been removed from office, both the House of Representatives and the Senate would have had to find him guilty on at least one charge. 

According to The New York Times, Senate voted 52 to 48 on abuse of power and 53 to 47 on obstruction of Congress. 

Trump’s impeachment trial and eventual acquittal, is controversial.

I don’t believe justice was fairly served in the impeachment trial. The two major political parties in America do not always act with honesty and each party is focused on what move they can make on the political chessboard to keep themselves in control.

It seemed to me the Republicans in the Senate had their mind made up about their vote before they heard the evidence.

However, according to The New York Times, not everyone followed suit. Senator Mitt Romney was the only member to break from his party and vote to remove Trump from office. 

The day following the acquittal, Trump held a news conference to address the trial.  His tone was “vindictive and vulgar” and had “no overarching message for the country as a whole,” according to the Los Angeles Times. 

“The only one who voted against (acquittal) was a guy who can’t stand the fact that he ran one of the worst campaigns in the history of the presidency,” Trump said during the conference to bash Senator Mitt Romney.

Trump’s address was extremely distasteful. He used his time to boast about his acquittal and attack Democrats by throwing out insults such as “vicious” and “horrible” on many occasions.

As the impeachment trial slowly leaves the spotlight of the political world, it is important to think about what this trial means for the future of the presidency. 

Once again, an impeached president has managed to escape the charges held against them. The checks and balances system placed into our government has failed. This demonstration of elite power held by one man should scare you.

If you want to see a change in our politics, now is the time to get involved. 

The Democratic primaries are heating up right now with Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders competing for the top delegate spot, according to The Associated Press.

Watch debates and interviews, read articles and statements to make sure you know who you’re voting for.

Most importantly, get out and vote in November 2020. The best way to make your impact on politics is by voting. Your vote is only one voice amongst millions, but if you do not vote, your voice will never be heard.

Ebenhoch can be reached at [email protected].