Since President Donald Trump prevailed through the impeachment trial, it could make him harder to beat in the 2020 election.

When the impeachment trial started, I felt we were headed in the right direction. The way the House of Representatives had approved it, acknowledging his wrongdoings and passed it on to the Senate, gave me hope. I thought maybe the Senate would do the right thing. But instead they brought their bias into the trial and decided Trump should not be impeached. 

According to USA Today, “For the first time in the three impeachment trials in U.S. history, the Senate did not call witnesses, further confirming the belief that Trump would not be convicted.”

When the trial ended and Trump was aqcuitted, I was disappointed, but not surprised. I was not surprised solely because the Republicans hold the majority in the Senate and not in the House of Representatives.

I wasn’t shocked by the way Senate handled the trial, I just wish they could’ve opted to see more of the evidence before making their decision.

“If someone does something bad enough to be considered for impeachment, I think it should be taken a lot more seriously and investigated a lot more,” California Lutheran University senior Nissa Rolf said.

Senator Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote against Trump. He was the only one from the Republican side that really paid attention to the evidence and saw this situation for what it truly is: Trump abusing his power, which needs to be stopped.

According to Politico, “After resisting calls for Trump’s impeachment for months, fearing the process would be seen as an effort to undo the 2016 election, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi changed her mind because Trump’s Ukraine call was about the next election.”

Rolf said she thought it was great when the impeachment process finally started, but also figured “it’s never going to pass the Senate.”

Even though the decision was expected, I got my hopes up regardless, because I thought there was enough evidence to show that Trump was abusing his power in office.

“[The trial] did illustrate, however, how beholden Republicans are to Mr. Trump and his destructive approach to leadership,” according to The New York Times article, “What Will Finally Defeat Trump?” The article added, “In that sense, the trial provided an important service to Americans, clarifying the stakes in the coming election.”

Rolf said she wants a president who represents this country, and not someone who does whatever they want.

“As long as an acquitted Trump is on the ballot in November, there is a risk the election will be unfair, and that its results cannot be trusted as the genuine choice of the American electorate—a recipe for chaos,” according to Politico. 

The upcoming 2020 election is when the American people will have to decide where they stand.

Young adults like me who are in college, or those who are barely going to turn 18 this year should go out and register to vote so we don’t get stuck in another four years with a president who doesn’t represent us and our values.