Andy Gregory
Feb 14, 2021
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
While the worst of the world’s politicians may appear to view their countries like a chessboard upon which to win or lose power, with scant regard for the human collateral, few are dim enough to actively allude to treating politics like a game.
However, Eric Trump is yet to run for office.
On Saturday, senators voted 43-57 not to convict Donald Trump on impeachment charges of “incitement to insurrection” over his supporters’ deadly assault on the US Capitol.
Although widely expected, the result will still have come as a relief to the Trump dynasty given that, despite voting to acquit him on disputed constitutional grounds, many Republicans clearly agree with Democrats’ charges – with former ally and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell admitting moments after the trial that Trump was “practically and morally responsible” for the Capitol raid, saying: “They did this because they’d been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on Earth because he was angry he lost an election.”
But the former president’s son chose a baffling way to celebrate his father’s exoneration, tweeting:
The comment appears an ill-thought-out own goal, not least because it serves to highlight that his father – reportedly a man beset with concerns for his legacy – is the first US president in history to be impeached twice.
People were also keen to point out other instances where a scoreline could be applied.
But Eric’s brother, Donald Jr, appeared to be thinking along similar lines, sharing a bizarre image of the president mocked up as Rocky Balboa, captioned: “Back to back impeachment champ.”
With at least one criminal trial already on the horizon in Manhattan, where investigators are weighing possible allegations of tax evasion, and insurance and bank fraud, Trump’s fans will be hoping he maintains his fighting spirit.
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