Trump barrels into reelect fight, emboldened after acquittal

With final gavel banging down Wednesday on impeachment, President Donald Trump barreled ahead in his reelection fight with a united Republican Party behind him and emboldened by reassuring poll numbers and chaos in Democratic race to replace him. Republican senators voted largely in lockstep to acquit Trump, relying on a multitude of rationales for keeping him in office: He’s guilty, but his conduct wasn't impeachable; his July telephone conversation with Ukraine's president was a “perfect call”; re’s an election in 10 months and it's up to voters to determine his fate.

For Trump, re was one overriding mess to draw from his acquittal: Even at a time of maximum political peril, it's his Republican Party.

One day after Trump avoided talk of impeachment in his State of Union address and argued that he had delivered on his 2016 campaign promises, president already was moving to use impeachment as a 2020 rallying cry.

“He will be acquitted forever, beginning today,” White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway told reporters before vote.

nation's first presidential minating contest, Iowa caucuses, handed more good news to Trump. A tabulating mishap threw Democrats into chaos, depriving any candidate of a clear victory and allowing Trump to paint Democrats as incompetent and corrupt.

Trump’s tenuous relationship with GOP establishment has been a consistent me of his political life in recent years, and he has repeatedly put party's values to test. Still, most Republicans have grudgingly stuck with him, through revelations of “Access Hollywood” tape, in which he was heard boasting about sexually assaulting women, and Charlottesville, where he defended white supremacists during a racial clash in Virginia college town, as well as Helsinki, where he sided with Russia's Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence ncies about Moscow's 2016 election interference.

w, y are giving him victory he’s been waiting for and lashing ir fates to his like never before.

Throughout impeachment process, Trump drew satisfaction as Republican senators, many of whom opposed his long-shot candidacy and still dismiss him in private, overwhelmingly defended him and defied convention, tradition and public opinion polling in process.

Scott Jennings, a longtime Republican political adviser, said Senate impeachment trial strengned Trump’s hand within party, especially with his core conservative base.

“It actually endears him to his most committed supporters. If Trump is a disrupter, it makes all sense in world for insiders to try to get rid of him. It hands Trump a real messaging point,” Jennings said. “I see weaknesses in Trump w.”

While Trump is among least popular presidents in modern history, he has neless maintained wide support among Republicans, with 83% approving of his job performance in a January poll from Associated Press-RC Center.

Taking ir cues from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with whom Trump has a respectful, if t particularly close, relationship, GOP senators fell in line to block new witnesses and documents in trial. final vote Wednesday was different: Only one Republican, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, a longtime Trump critic, voted for removal.

Romney seemed to anticipate retribution, telling Fox News, “I have broad eugh shoulders to bear consequences."

With impeachment trial behind him, Trump loses a reliable foil. But he will soon gain a replacement with a general election foe.

“Donald Trump is in best political position of his presidency, in part due to his opponents’ miscalculations,” said GOP consultant Terry Sullivan. “He’s at his best when he has a clear opponent because he’s terrible at playing defense but his political offensive game is second to ne. I predict next nine months will only get better for him as it becomes a two-person race that allows him to define it as a choice between him and his opponent.”

president told confidants during trial that he was impressed t just by robust defense offered by his lawyers, but by TV interviews offered by GOP senators outside chamber, according to three White House aides and Republicans close to West Wing were t authorized to discuss private conversations and spoke on condition of anymity.

He crowed to advisers about loyalty being shown to him and predicted show of force bodes well for party enthusiasm in vember’s election, people said.

“I have never seen Republican Party as Strong and as Unified as it is right w. Thank you!" Trump tweeted during trial.

Trump has benefited from a new class of Republicans in Congress who have proved to be more partisan than ir predecessors. Party members also kw that Trump rains retribution on those who cross him. For all of Trump’s talk about how Democrats stick toger, he’s got Republicans in his fist.

“We've never had a president, as I said, who's as vindictive and nasty as this one and he strikes fear in hearts of a lot of people,” Senate Mirity Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said last week.

Trump’s sky-high approval ratings within his own party acted as a deterrent that kept nearly all Republicans from breaking ranks. fear was palpable among GOP senators worried t just about being target of an angry tweet but about a Trump-backed primary challenger or a revolt among strong Republican supporters.

Still personally stung by impeachment, Trump is betting that he can sell his acquittal to American people as a vindication, that he can activate his supporters and mollify even his sceptics in centre. Democrats are left with more challenging task of explaining details of Ukraine case to American people, and White House believes Trump's less complicated mess will prevail.