On Feb. 5, 2020 the Senate acquitted President Trump of both charges against him: Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress. The trial began on Dec.18, 2019 spanning almost two months, however, the outcome was predictable from the beginning since over half of the senate is Republican. America, home of the brave, houses the most cowardice, as self-victimization permeates the vessels of our government.

In his acquittal speech, Trump held up “The Washington Post” with the headline “Trump acquitted.” He proceeded to call out by name Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff by calling them horrible people as well as liars. He negates his quid pro quo with Ukraine and instead of apologizing to the American people, he implies that the only ones affected by the impeachment were himself and his family. In Trump’s eyes, he was involved in a “witch-hunt” powered by Pelosi and Schiff, who were supposedly out to persecute him from the very beginning. His acquittal speech was nothing but an example of what it looks and sounds like to pull the victim card and wave it around in everyone’s face. Trump pulls this card from his predictable deck as a symbol of exoneration, emphasizing his notion that the only people who are guilty of anything are those that attempted to convict him.

Trump continues to narrate for the American people his escape from being held accountable for any of his actions. This four-year slapstick will continue to saturate news outlets and meme pages all the way up to the 2020 election in November.

During the trial Utah Senator, Mitt Romney, became the first Republican to vote against their party in an impeachment trial. Romney said that his decision was based on an “inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it,” and that Trump was “guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.” Romney, unlike the other Republican senators, was not thinking about keeping his seat in congress, but of his duty as a key limb of the government. Members of his party were outraged, while Trump stated that Romney used religion as a “crutch” in his defense. In reality, his disloyalty to his party was a sign of loyalty to the people.

The Senate voted not to call witnesses to the trial and Trump previously fired government members who could attest to his crimes. This calls attention to the integrity of the United States government, the impeachment “trial” can hardly be called so, it was a mere representation of the corruption that has continued to infiltrate political settings. Of course Trump feels that he has the right to claim that he is innocent because there was no one formally permitted to state otherwise.

America has turned into a country where self-deprecation is no longer a symbol of humility, but an attribute of the disenfranchised and the powerless. This new American government teaches its citizens to bask in the rays of self-victimization, painting a permanent critical image that will forever hang on the walls of our history—it is sad to think that some will stand and admire this scene or call it art.