Congressioanl Members Of The Trumpzi Party
The primary reason Senate Republicans did not vote to convict and remove Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial was political strategy, despite widespread acknowledgment that he bore responsibility for inciting the January 6th insurrection.
Key Reasons Senate Republicans Did Not Remove Trump:
McConnell’s “Let the Courts Handle It” Argument
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voted to acquit Trump but delivered a speech stating that Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for the insurrection. However, he argued that impeachment was not the proper mechanism for accountability because Trump was no longer in office by the time the Senate trial took place. He suggested that Trump could face criminal prosecution instead.
Timing and Jurisdiction Argument
Many Republican senators justified their votes by claiming that since Trump had already left office, convicting him through impeachment would be unconstitutional. This argument was widely debated, as legal scholars overwhelmingly agreed that former officials could still be impeached and convicted to bar them from future office.
Fear of Political Backlash
Many Republican senators feared retaliation from Trump’s base. Trump remained immensely popular among Republican voters, and convicting him could have triggered primary challenges against those who voted for removal.
Concerns Over Party Unity
The Republican Party was already fractured, with establishment conservatives trying to maintain control while Trump loyalists solidified their grip on the party. Convicting Trump would have deepened those divisions and risked alienating a significant portion of the GOP electorate.
Future Election Calculations
Many Republican senators had political ambitions or reelection campaigns ahead. They calculated that convicting Trump could cost them support from the MAGA base, which remained influential in primaries.
Trump’s Influence Over the GOP
Despite his loss in 2020, Trump still held enormous sway over Republican voters, and most senators wanted to avoid alienating him. The fear of being labeled a “traitor” by Trump and his supporters deterred many Republicans from voting to convict.
Lack of Immediate Consequences
Some Republicans likely believed that since Trump was out of office, there was no urgency to take action. They may have assumed that his influence would wane over time without the need for an impeachment conviction.
Final Vote Count:
57 senators (including all 50 Democrats and 7 Republicans) voted to convict.
43 Republican senators voted to acquit.
A two-thirds majority (67 votes) was needed for conviction.
While McConnell’s argument about letting the courts handle Trump was a convenient excuse, the real reasons for acquittal were largely political. Many Republicans feared losing their seats, angering Trump’s base, or dividing their party further. As a result, Trump was acquitted, allowing him to remain eligible to run for office again.
How They Voted
How The Senate Voted On Trumps Second Impeachment
John Barrasso (WY)Not Guilty
Marsha Blackburn (TN)Not Guilty
Roy Blunt (MO)Not Guilty
John Boozman (AR)Not Guilty
Mike Braun (IN)Not Guilty
Shelley Capito (WV)Not Guilty
John Cornyn (TX)Not Guilty
Tom Cotton (AR)Not Guilty
Kevin Cramer (ND)Not Guilty
Mike Crapo (ID)Not Guilty
Ted Cruz (TX)Not Guilty
Steve Daines (MT)Not Guilty
Joni Ernst (IA)Not Guilty
Deb Fischer (NE)Not Guilty
Lindsey Graham (SC)Not Guilty
Charles Grassley (IA)Not Guilty
Bill Hagerty (TN)Not Guilty
Josh Hawley (MO)Not Guilty
John Hoeven (ND)Not Guilty
Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS)Not Guilty
Jim Inhofe (OK)Not Guilty
Ron Johnson (WI)Not Guilty
John Kennedy (LA)Not Guilty
James Lankford (OK)Not Guilty
Mike Lee (UT)Not Guilty
Cynthia Lummis (WY)Not Guilty
Roger Marshall (KS)Not Guilty
Mitch McConnell (KY)Not Guilty
Jerry Moran (KS)Not Guilty
Rand Paul (KY)Not Guilty
Rob Portman (OH)Not Guilty
James Risch (ID)Not Guilty
Mike Rounds (SD)Not Guilty
Marco Rubio (FL)Not Guilty
Rick Scott (FL)Not Guilty
Tim Scott (SC)Not Guilty
Richard Shelby (AL)Not Guilty
Dan Sullivan (AK)Not Guilty
John Thune (SD)Not Guilty
Thomas Tillis (NC)Not Guilty
Tommy Tuberville (AL)Not Guilty
Roger Wicker (MS)Not Guilty
Todd Young (IN)Not Guilty
How member of the House voted on Trump’s second impeachment
Robert Aderholt (AL-4)Nay
Rick Allen (GA-12)Nay
Mark Amodei (NV-2)Nay
Kelly Armstrong (ND-0)Nay
Jodey Arrington (TX-19)Nay
Brian Babin (TX-36)Nay
Don Bacon (NE-2)Nay
James Baird (IN-4)Nay
Troy Balderson (OH-12)Nay
Jim Banks (IN-3)Nay
Garland Barr (KY-6)Nay
Cliff Bentz (OR-2)Nay
Jack Bergman (MI-1)Nay
Stephanie Bice (OK-5)Nay
Andy Biggs (AZ-5)Nay
Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)Nay
Dan Bishop (NC-9)Nay
Lauren Boebert (CO-3)Nay
Mike Bost (IL-12)Nay
Kevin Brady (TX-8)Nay
Mo Brooks (AL-5)Nay
Vern Buchanan (FL-16)Nay
Ken Buck (CO-4)Nay
Larry Bucshon (IN-8)Nay
Ted Budd (NC-13)Nay
Tim Burchett (TN-2)Nay
Michael Burgess (TX-26)Nay
Ken Calvert (CA-42)Nay
Katherine Cammack (FL-3)Nay
Jerry Carl (AL-1)Nay
Buddy Carter (GA-1)Nay
John Carter (TX-31)Nay
David Cawthorn (NC-11)Nay
Steve Chabot (OH-1)Nay
Ben Cline (VA-6)Nay
Michael Cloud (TX-27)Nay
Andrew Clyde (GA-9)Nay
Tom Cole (OK-4)Nay
James Comer (KY-1)Nay
Eric Crawford (AR-1)Nay
Dan Crenshaw (TX-2)Nay
John Curtis (UT-3)Nay
Warren Davidson (OH-8)Nay
Rodney Davis (IL-13)Nay
Scott DesJarlais (TN-4)Nay
Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25)Nay
Byron Donalds (FL-19)Nay
Jeff Duncan (SC-3)Nay
Neal Dunn (FL-2)Nay
Tom Emmer (MN-6)Nay
Ron Estes (KS-4)Nay
Patrick Fallon (TX-4)Nay
Randy Feenstra (IA-4)Nay
A. Ferguson (GA-3)Nay
Michelle Fischbach (MN-7)Nay
Scott Fitzgerald (WI-5)Nay
Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1)Nay
Charles Fleischmann (TN-3)Nay
Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1)Nay
Virginia Foxx (NC-5)Nay
Scott Franklin (FL-15)Nay
Russ Fulcher (ID-1)Nay
Matt Gaetz (FL-1)Nay
Mike Gallagher (WI-8)Nay
Andrew Garbarino (NY-2)Nay
Mike Garcia (CA-25)Nay
Bob Gibbs (OH-7)Nay
Carlos Giménez (FL-26)Nay
Louie Gohmert (TX-1)Nay
Ernest Gonzales (TX-23)Nay
Robert Good (VA-5)Nay
Lance Gooden (TX-5)Nay
Paul Gosar (AZ-4)Nay
Garret Graves (LA-6)Nay
Sam Graves (MO-6)Nay
Mark Green (TN-7)Nay
Marjorie Greene (GA-14)Nay
H. Griffith (VA-9)Nay
Glenn Grothman (WI-6)Nay
Michael Guest (MS-3)Nay
Brett Guthrie (KY-2)Nay
Jim Hagedorn (MN-1)Nay
Diana Harshbarger (TN-1)Nay
Vicky Hartzler (MO-4)Nay
Kevin Hern (OK-1)Nay
Stella Herrell (NM-2)Nay
Jody Hice (GA-10)Nay
Clay Higgins (LA-3)Nay
French Hill (AR-2)Nay
Ashley Hinson (IA-1)Nay
Trey Hollingsworth (IN-9)Nay
Richard Hudson (NC-8)Nay
Bill Huizenga (MI-2)Nay
Darrell Issa (CA-50)Nay
Ronny Jackson (TX-13)Nay
Chris Jacobs (NY-27)Nay
Mike Johnson (LA-4)Nay
Bill Johnson (OH-6)Nay
Dusty Johnson (SD-0)Nay
Jim Jordan (OH-4)Nay
David Joyce (OH-14)Nay
John Joyce (PA-13)Nay
Fred Keller (PA-12)Nay
Trent Kelly (MS-1)Nay
Mike Kelly (PA-16)Nay
Young Kim (CA-39)Nay
David Kustoff (TN-8)Nay
Darin LaHood (IL-18)Nay
Doug LaMalfa (CA-1)Nay
Doug Lamborn (CO-5)Nay
Robert Latta (OH-5)Nay
Jacob LaTurner (KS-2)Nay
Debbie Lesko (AZ-8)Nay
Billy Long (MO-7)Nay
Barry Loudermilk (GA-11)Nay
Frank Lucas (OK-3)Nay
Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3)Nay
Nancy Mace (SC-1)Nay
Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11)Nay
Tracey Mann (KS-1)Nay
Thomas Massie (KY-4)Nay
Brian Mast (FL-18)Nay
Kevin McCarthy (CA-23)Nay
Michael McCaul (TX-10)Nay
Lisa McClain (MI-10)Nay
Tom McClintock (CA-4)Nay
Patrick McHenry (NC-10)Nay
David McKinley (WV-1)Nay
Daniel Meuser (PA-9)Nay
Mary Miller (IL-15)Nay
Carol Miller (WV-3)Nay
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-2)Nay
John Moolenaar (MI-4)Nay
Alex Mooney (WV-2)Nay
Felix Moore (AL-2)Nay
Blake Moore (UT-1)Nay
Markwayne Mullin (OK-2)Nay
Troy Nehls (TX-22)Nay
Ralph Norman (SC-5)Nay
Devin Nunes (CA-22)Nay
Jay Obernolte (CA-8)Nay
Clarence Owens (UT-4)Nay
Steven Palazzo (MS-4)Nay
Gary Palmer (AL-6)Nay
Greg Pence (IN-6)Nay
Scott Perry (PA-10)Nay
August Pfluger (TX-11)Nay
Bill Posey (FL-8)Nay
Tom Reed (NY-23)Nay
Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14)Nay
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5)Nay
Mike Rogers (AL-3)Nay
Harold Rogers (KY-5)Nay
John Rose (TN-6)Nay
Matthew Rosendale (MT-0)Nay
David Rouzer (NC-7)Nay
Chip Roy (TX-21)Nay
John Rutherford (FL-4)Nay
Maria Salazar (FL-27)Nay
Steve Scalise (LA-1)Nay
David Schweikert (AZ-6)Nay
Austin Scott (GA-8)Nay
Pete Sessions (TX-17)Nay
Michael Simpson (ID-2)Nay
Jason Smith (MO-8)Nay
Adrian Smith (NE-3)Nay
Christopher Smith (NJ-4)Nay
Lloyd Smucker (PA-11)Nay
Victoria Spartz (IN-5)Nay
Pete Stauber (MN-8)Nay
Michelle Steel (CA-48)Nay
Elise Stefanik (NY-21)Nay
Bryan Steil (WI-1)Nay
W. Steube (FL-17)Nay
Chris Stewart (UT-2)Nay
Steve Stivers (OH-15)Nay
Van Taylor (TX-3)Nay
Glenn Thompson (PA-15)Nay
Thomas Tiffany (WI-7)Nay
William Timmons (SC-4)Nay
Michael Turner (OH-10)Nay
Jefferson Van Drew (NJ-2)Nay
Beth Van Duyne (TX-24)Nay
Ann Wagner (MO-2)Nay
Tim Walberg (MI-7)Nay
Jackie Walorski (IN-2)Nay
Michael Waltz (FL-6)Nay
Randy Weber (TX-14)Nay
Brad Wenstrup (OH-2)Nay
Bruce Westerman (AR-4)Nay
Roger Williams (TX-25)Nay
Joe Wilson (SC-2)Nay
Robert Wittman (VA-1)Nay
Steve Womack (AR-3)Nay
Ron Wright (TX-6)Nay
Don Young (AK-0)Nay
Lee Zeldin (NY-1)Nay