This was no triumph for Trump
By David Axelrod, CNN Senior Political Commentator
(CNN)There was never a doubt that former President Donald Trump would escape conviction in his latest impeachment trial. The "jurors" were, after all, politicians. And in a 50-50 Senate, the constitutional bar of 67 votes was never achievable. Not in these bitterly polarized times.
But even as the final chapter was known from the start, it was essential that the story of Trump's brazen acts be told.
It was the story of the months, not just the moment, of calculated incitement; of Trump's cold-blooded indifference to the lives he put in jeopardy at the US Capitol on January 6, including, most shockingly, that of his faithful Vice President Mike Pence.
It was the story of a president, desperately trying to cling to power, weaponizing those he had radicalized to believe the election was being stolen from them and that it was their patriotic duty to prevent this.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/13/opinions/trump-impeachment-axelrod/index.html