On January 6th, 2021, a violent mob, encouraged by then-president Donald J. Trump, stormed the Capitol, wreaking havoc in D.C.  One week later, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for the second time, but what comes next?

The week of February 8th, the Senate will vote on whether or not to convict our ex-president. On the 6th of January, Trump, who had claimed for weeks that the election was “stolen” and “rigged,” encouraged his supporters, through social media and a speech he gave in front of the White House, to march on our nation’s Capitol and “fight like hell.” During the riot, the former president was busy calling senators to ask them to hinder the certification of then president-elect Joseph R. Biden as our next president. Trump then released a video telling people to go home, but still he continued to insist that the election was “fraudulent.” 

This is not about politics. This is not about blue vs. red. This is about upholding the law, which our former president failed to do. He tried to undermine our democracy, which is an unlawful act. But it’s not just about him; it’s about sending a message to our nation and future politicians that what happened was not right no matter the circumstances. Being president doesn’t give you immunity under the law. When presidents are sworn in, they take an oath to serve and protect the people, and when they fail to do that, they must be held accountable for their actions. No matter which side of this you fall on, remember this: no one is above the law, not even the former president.