唐纳德·特朗普总统是美国历史上第三位被弹劾的总统，但他的共和党初选挑战者表示，这是他任职期间“最不令人惊讶的一天”。
乔·沃尔什和比尔·韦德是特朗普在2020年共和党提名中仅有的两个对手。前伊利诺伊州国会议员沃尔什于8月份开始竞选白宫，前马萨诸塞州州长韦德于4月份开始竞选。
“不可避免。[:一点也不惊讶，”沃尔什告诉记者新闻周刊关于国会弹劾特朗普的决定。“昨天是特朗普担任总统期间最不令人惊讶的一天。我们知道他将被弹劾，他应该被弹劾。”
焊缝同意，告诉新闻周刊特朗普有“压倒性的理由”被弹劾。这位前州长补充说，对于总统为什么应该在参议院审判中被定罪并正式免职，这一争论同样激烈。
两位候选人都说特朗普的弹劾不会改变他们2020年给选民的信息。但是他们确实希望这将加强有一个替代候选人作为共和党候选人的理由。
“所有这些都强化了我和其他人所说的唐纳德·特朗普是不称职的，他对这个国家是一个威胁。他迫使外国政府在2020年选举中作弊。我认为他仍在努力做到这一点，”沃尔什说。
众议院周三花了几个小时辩论了两篇针对特朗普的弹劾文章。众议院以230票对197票通过了滥用权力条款，以229票对198票通过了阻挠国会条款。
众议院民主党指责特朗普试图向乌克兰总统沃洛季米尔·泽林斯基施压，要求他宣布对乔·拜登和他的儿子亨特进行政治损害性调查，并对乌克兰可能干涉2016年美国大选的行为进行调查，从而将个人利益置于国家利益之上。
共和党人指责民主党人做了任何事情来弹劾特朗普，因为他们担心他们会输掉2020年总统选举。在周三的弹劾辩论中，几位保守派议员坚称，罢免特朗普的努力完全是基于民主党对总统的“仇恨”。
唐纳德·特朗普总统在2019年12月18日密歇根州巴特尔克里克凯洛格竞技场举行的“保持美国伟大”集会上发表讲话。12月18日，特朗普因两项条款遭到众议院弹劾:滥用权力和阻挠国会。
特朗普接下来将在参议院接受审判，决定他是否应该被免职。宪法规定，议院必须举行审判，立法者必须担任陪审员。但是参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔声称他无意成为一名公正的法官，这给诉讼带来了麻烦。
由于麦康奈尔的阻挠，众议院议长南希·佩洛西警告说，她可能会等着将弹劾条款提交参议院。许多民主党人敦促她在麦康奈尔同意众议院提出的参议院审判条款(包括要求额外证人)之前扣留他们。
众议院投票数小时后，特朗普在密歇根举行的“保持美国伟大”集会上，将弹劾作为一种号召。
他对一群支持者说:“我们并不真的觉得自己被弹劾了。”。然后，他对众议院民主党人发起攻击，声称议员们“放弃”了他们的尊严，他们“看起来像一群傻瓜”
TRUMP'S 2020 GOP CHALLENGERS SAY IMPEACHMENT WAS 'ONE OF THE LEAST SURPRISING DAYS' OF HIS PRESIDENCY
President Donald Trump is the third president in American history to be impeached but his Republican primary challengers say it was "one of the least surprising days" of his tenure in office.
Joe Walsh and Bill Weld are Trump's only two rivals for the Republican nomination in 2020. Walsh, a former Illinois congressman, launched his White House bid in August and Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts, started his campaign in April.
"Inevitable. [I'm] not at all surprised," Walsh told Newsweek about Congress' decision to impeach Trump. "Yesterday was one of the least surprising days of the Trump presidency. We knew he was going to get impeached and he deserved to be impeached."
Weld agreed, telling Newsweek that there was an "overwhelming case" for Trump to be impeached. The former governor added that the argument is just as strong as to why the president should be convicted in a Senate trial and formally removed from office.
Both candidates said that Trump's impeachment doesn't change their 2020 message to voters. But they do hope that it will strengthen the case for having an alternative candidate as the Republican nominee.
"All this does is reinforce what I've been saying and others have been saying that Donald Trump is unfit and he is a danger to this country. He pressured a foreign government to cheat in the 2020 election. I think he's still trying to do that," Walsh said.
The House of Representatives spent hours on Wednesday debating two impeachment articles against Trump. The chamber voted 230 to 197 to approve the abuse of power article and 229 to 198 on the obstruction of Congress article.
House Democrats charge that Trump put his personal interests over the country's by trying to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to announce a politically damaging investigation of Joe Biden and his son Hunter and a probe of supposed Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
Republicans accuse Democrats of doing anything to impeach Trump because they are worried they will lose the 2020 presidential election. During Wednesday's impeachment debate, several conservative lawmakers asserted that the effort to remove Trump is based solely on Democratic "hate" for the president.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Keep America Great Rally at Kellogg Arena December 18, 2019, in Battle Creek, Michigan. On December 18, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on two articles: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Next up for Trump is a trial in the Senate to decide whether or not he should be removed from office. The Constitution says the chamber has to hold a trial and that lawmakers must serve as jurors. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has thrown a wrench in the proceedings by asserting that he has no intention of behaving as an impartial judge.
As a result of McConnell's stonewalling, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned that she may wait to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Many Democrats have urged her to hold them until McConnell agrees to the terms set out by the House for the Senate trial, including the demands for additional witnesses.
Trump used impeachment as a rallying cry during a "Keep America Great" rally in Michigan hours after the House's vote.
"It doesn't really feel like we're being impeached," he told a crowd of supporters. He then went on the offensive against House Democrats, asserting that the lawmakers were "surrendering" their dignity and that they "look like a bunch of fools."
