President Trump Gets Impeached
In July of this year, Donny the deal-maker got it wrong over the negotiating table. Following a now infamous phone call to Ukrainian President Zelinskiy, a whistleblower accused him of involving both political favors and the promise of military aid in the same transaction. Tut-tut!
The Democrats tightened their grip on “smoking gun evidence of collusion and abuses of power,” and last night, the House of Representatives voted to impeach. Donald Trump finally won the popular vote! He now becomes the first US President to be impeached during his first term. Brace yourselves for the Twitter storm!
Every sentence in the President’s letter of protest is plaque-worthy, and sure to amuse historians in the future. He turned the allegations back on his accusers, referenced the Salem Witch Trials, and insisted “Do-Nothing-Democrats” found “NOTHING!”
The President in peril may be business-friendly, but his box office impeachment saga isn’t worrying businesspeople. In fact, this is the most significant political moment in American history that markets don’t give a damn about.
He’s only been charged. For Donald Trump not to be President anymore (the real knockout punch), 67 Senators must vote to convict him next year. Impeachment is a partisan issue in Washington, and so a Republican-controlled Senate ensures those key votes will never be cast.
Sure, Donald J. Trump will forever carry the mark of impeachment on his Presidential record and in the history books. But spoiler alert, he won’t be kicked out of office. He’ll stay commander-in-chief barring a civil war in the republican party, or indeed, the wider United States.
Mark Haefele, chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, wants to remind investors that while nobody’s selling the news this morning, “elections in 2020 will be another story.” Can Trump brand himself “exonerated” and pull-off a re-election as an impeached President? Never say never.
Amid the heat of closely fought election campaigns, he and his running mates will argue over tech tax, antitrust, MedicareForAll, and what to do about undiversified fossil fuel companies. The outlook for health care, energy, and tech stocks will change dramatically in 2020 depending on whether President Trump is in the picture!