Anti-Trump ‘minions’ urge impeachment
Protesters rallied in US cities on Thursday for the impeachment of Donald Trump.
Former US marine Dion Cini stood outside the Capitol building in Washington during the impeachment debate on Thursday (AEDT) waving a giant Trump flag and loudly declaring the President’s innocence.
“I am a one-man wrecking ball!” he shouted as he stood alone on the edge of a large rally of anti-Trump protesters who had gathered to call for the impeachment of the 45th president.
“I’m here because I support my President,’’ Mr Cini said as anti-Trump voters heckled him. “Asking about Hunter Biden is not an impeachable offence.”
As he spoke, he was approached by Washington social worker Lisa Foeke, who was holding a sign saying “Impeach and Remove! Keep our Democracy”.
“He has destroyed America’s reputation around the world and he is extorting a foreign power,” she told him.
“Do you mean Joe Biden or Trump?” Mr Cini retorted.
“Tell me this,” she said, “I need to understand why you can’t see the facts in front of your face.”
Similar exchanges took place across the US as more than 600 rallies organised by progressive groups were held to support impeachment, while a handful of counter-rallies were also held to support Mr Trump.
In Washington, anti-Trump voters easily outnumbered pro-Trump voters, but even then the national turnout was relatively modest, with most rallies attracting hundreds rather than thousands of people.
Polls show that Americans are almost evenly divided over Trump’s impeachment but many are also disengaged from what they see as a partisan political act.
“I am here because we need to save our democracy, I think we are at that point,” Ms Foeke said after her exchange with Mr Cini.
“I believe in free speech but I don’t believe our leaders are free to lie and when you’ve got the President of the US repeating Russian propaganda points that’s not OK.”
Retired construction worker Korey Holmes, wearing a T-shirt saying “Impeach The Chump lock him up”, said Mr Trump needed to leave office.
“He needs to go, the man is a walking crime wave. I read all 448 pages of the Mueller report and he cheated on the first election and he is trying to do it again now.”
Greg Costanzo, waving a sign saying “No More Kings”, said he came to the capital to show his support for impeachment.
“We need checks on this President, otherwise he will abuse power again and again and we can’t have that,” he said.
But Mr Cini, who lives in Trump Place in New York, was having none of it.
“He (Trump) is a nice guy,” he said. “I live in one of his buildings in New York.
“In my opinion, what Joe Biden did was impeachable. Republicans will stick together 100 per cent on this.
“Look at all these people here,” he said, pointing at the anti-Trump protesters. “I mean, this is just political theatre and these people are the minions.”
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