After months of trying to keep the more radical members of her party from beating the drum too loudly for the politically risky action, Democratic leader House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) finally made a decision to formally move forward with an impeachment inquiry on Tuesday. Will the move backfire, as many analysts have warned, or will it pay off for Pelosi and company? Amid a series of posts slamming the Democrats for moving forward with an impeachment inquiry over the latest “witch hunt”-spawned scandal, President Trump revealed that his campaign believes impeachment will pay off — for him, literally.
“Democrats have one sole focus,” Trump’s new impeachment-themed fundraising video states before presenting a series of Democratic lawmakers — including presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) and “Squad” members Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI) and Ilhan Omar (MN) — repeatedly calling for Trump’s impeachment. “If we don’t impeach this president, he will get re-elected,” says Rep. Al Green (D-TX).
“It’s time to stop this nonsense,” Trump says at a rally. “They think they’re going to win. Did you see the one man? He says, it’s the only way we’re going to beat him in 2020 … Well that’s a compliment, I guess. But think of what he said. It’s the only way they’re going to beat me. And actually it’s working the other way, because now we have our best poll numbers that we’ve ever had.”
The video ends with Trump supporters chanting “Four more years!”
While the Democrats geared up for the impeachment inquiry decision, Trump was particularly busy on social media Tuesday, posting a series of statements and videos addressing the latest scandal: his alleged attempt to “pressure” the Ukrainian president to reopen an investigation into Hunter Biden and Joe Biden’s role in forcing Ukraine to remove its top prosecutor who had investigating Hunter and his company over corruption.
In a pair of tweets, Trump announced that he had “authorized the release tomorrow of the complete, fully declassified and unredacted transcript of my phone conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine,” promising, “You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call. No pressure and, unlike Joe Biden and his son, NO quid pro quo! This is nothing more than a continuation of the Greatest and most Destructive Witch Hunt of all time!”
In a follow-up tweet, Trump announced that “Secretary of State Pompeo recieved permission from Ukraine Government to release the transcript of the telephone call I had with their President.”
“[The Ukrainian officials] don’t know either what the big deal is,” he added. “A total Witch Hunt Scam by the Democrats!”
Trump also noted that the Democrats backing impeachment “never even saw the transcript of the call.”
The president later highlighted a new report noting that the attorney working for the “whistleblower” who sparked the Ukraine firestorm allegedly worked for Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer.
“There has been no President in the history of our Country who has been treated so badly as I have,” he tweeted later. “The Democrats are frozen with hatred and fear. They get nothing done. This should never be allowed to happen to another President. Witch Hunt!”
As he did in the campaign video, Trump also took a moment to highlight his improving approval numbers, which hit 53% Tuesday according to Rasmussen’s daily tracking poll.