Public Support for Impeaching Trump Has Risen to Near-Nixonian Levels

A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS reveals that 42 percent of Americans say Trump should be impeached and removed from office. This number is staggeringly close to the 43 percent of Americans who believed Nixon should be impeached in March of 1974.

The Nixon poll was taken after the Watergate scandal broke, but a few months before the House began taking action against him. Nixon chose to resign in August 1974 instead of being impeached. However, Trump has puffed up his chest and stated that he is all-powerful and can pardon himself, but will not need to. However, based on these new numbers, he may need to be more worried than he is. Trump’s 42 percent is much higher than the 29 percent of Americans who wanted Bill Clinton to be impeached in 1998.

Despite the numbers, some Democrats are dragging their feet when it comes to discussing impeachment. Al Green, a House Representative from Texas, is the only Democrat to consistently push official impeachment efforts, all of which have been opposed by his peers. In order to impeach a president, the constitution says, “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” In 2017, Green introduced two articles of impeachment against the president. He argued:

He has harmed the society of the United States; brought shame and dishonor to the office of president of the United States; sowing discord among the people of the United States by associating the majesty and dignity of the presidency with causes rooted in white supremacy, bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, white nationalism or neo-Nazism.

House Republicans and many Democrats denied his request instantly. The House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi does not agree with Green’s efforts. “I do not think that impeachment is a policy agenda,” she said. “Impeachment is, to me, divisive.” However, she did suggest a shift of opinion if special counsel Mueller’s investigation reveals new information: “Again, if the facts are there, if the facts are there, then this would have to be bipartisan to go forward. But if it is viewed as partisan, it will divide the country, and I just don’t think that’s what we should do.” New York’s Senator Chuck Schumer agreed with Pelosi: “We need to get all the facts and then we’ll come to conclusions,” he said.

CNN details exactly how divisive impeachment charges would be, with 87 percent of Conservatives against the idea and 71 percent of Liberals supporting it. However, the poll is clear: The House would have a genuine shot at removing Trump from office. Not only do the pro-impeachment numbers line up with Nixon, but also Trump’s approval rating is much lower than Clinton’s was when the House attempted to impeach him. Clinton’s approval rating was over 70 percent at the time, while Trump’s currently stands at just 39 percent.

Whatever the Democrats decide to do, they better hurry. Trump’s Lawyer Rudy Giuliani is publicly pressuring Mueller to wrap up his investigation by September. This means if Democrats succeed in taking control of the Senate, the case could be closed by the time they get their new seats.