A Closer Look Into President Trump's Acquittal

          The recent trial for President Trump's impeachment was one of the closest turnouts in history. I watched it live and I was very unsure as to how it would turn out. The vote ended up being 52 to 48 not guilty on the first article and 53 to 47 not guilty on the second. One thing that stood out to me was that each senator tended to vote along their party line. Now, was I shocked about this? Absolutely not. However, I was a bit confused as to why some Republican senators publicly took a stance against President Trump yet they still voted in his favor at the trial. I began to wonder why they would turn back on their own ideology. The simple answer is fear.
        Based on my own assumption immediately after watching the trial, I presumed that they voted in the interest of their party as to eliminate any reason to not be reelected into another term in office. After reading the New York Times article "In Private, Republicans Admit They Acquitted Trump Out of Fear", it began to make a lot more sense as to why these senators turned against their personal beliefs. When it comes to human attributes which drive us to behave a certain way, fear is the top contender who has no opponent. In private, Republican senators were warned that if they had voted against President Trump, they would have a target on their back. However, the motives are still unclear. If President Trump was indeed removed from office, Vice President Mike Pence would offer them the same rewards as being the leader of their party and the nation. The answer? The media. The fear that the media would publicly target them for voting against the party means they would be blacklisted in the government. There was also the fear of what would happen after the president was acquitted. How could they ensure that Mike Pence would be a better leader than Donald Trump. They couldn't. Therefore, they decided that keeping Donald Trump in office would be a lesser of two evils.
          What do you think? Personally, I do not believe that President Trump is a fit leader for our country. I do not discriminate against those who support him, we are a country that thrives on a two-party system and we are all entitled to our political beliefs. However, I think keeping him in office is the lesser if two evils. Vice President Pence is a known homophobe and is very discriminant against anyone who has a more progressive view on politics. Another reason I am okay with him staying in office for the remainder of this term is because now he is limited to the two-term policy. If he did not complete the full four year term, he could presumably run for another term, wiping his slate clean and staying for another two terms. As far as I know, there is no Constitutional law against it, so he would be in office for twelve years, not eight. I am curious to know your opinion on the situation! Sound off below if you have any insight as to what you believe should have happened.

Reference https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/opinion/trump-senate-acquittal-impeachment.html