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Seven Republicans joined 50 Democrats in voting “guilty”, but they fell 10 votes shy of the 67 votes needed to charge Trump with inciting the insurrection. 

“This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country,” Trump said in a statement released after the verdict. “No president has ever gone through anything like it, and it continues because our opponents cannot forget the almost 75 million people, the highest number ever for a sitting president, who voted for us just a few short months ago.” 

One month after the House impeached Trump,  a record  number of Republican senators voted  for impeachment. Senators Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and  Mitch Romney of Utah voted to convict Trump.  

Throughout the five-day trial, House impeachment managers presented several of Trump’s tweets in chronological order alongside horrifying footage of the Capitol attack in real-time.

“When the violence started, he [former President Trump] never once said the one thing that everyone around him was begging him to say, stop the attack. He refused to stop it,” Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas  said. “He didn’t want it to stop. He wanted them to stay and to stop the certification.” 

Dr. Louie Dean Valencia, Assistant Professor of History at Texas State University and a Senior Fellow for the Centre of the Analysis of the Radical Right, said watching the trial was frustrating and at times comical, often happening simultaneously. 

“Seeing the incoherence of Trump’s team’s arguments actually was a glimpse into the sort of mental leaps one has to take to arrive to the Trumpist mindset,” they said. “In particular, the reliance on so-called ‘cancel culture’ as an argument was somehow surprising because it assumes words and actions don’t have consequences.”

After acquitting Trump,  Repubilican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the former president for inciting the riot even though he voted not guilty. 

“Former President Trump’s actions preceding the riot were a disgraceful dereliction of duty,” he said. “There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day. The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their President.” 

House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi was quick to fire back at McConnell’s hypocrisy and the group of Republicans who voted to absolve former President Trump of the charge. She said the reasoning behind their decision is because “ they were afraid to defend their job.”

The House Impeachment managers were ready to deliver the Article of Impeachment on January 15th, while Trump was still in office. But McConnell blocked the effort, she said.

“It is so pathetic that Senator McConnell kept the Senate shut down so that the Senate could not receive the Article of Impeachment and has used that as his excuse for not voting to convict Donald Trump,” Pelosi  said in a press release. 

In their defense of former President Trump, lawyers showed a montage comparing Democrats’ words to those of Trump on the day of the insurrection.The defense used dramatic and dark music over clips of mostly  women and minority women. 

WATCH: President Trump’s Attorney David Schoen plays video montage of Democrats saying the word “fight.”

Once it concludes: “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s a word people use, but please stop the hypocrisy.”

Full #ImpeachmentTrial video here: https://t.co/K1c6PWPhtD pic.twitter.com/QXxF8eapH6

— CSPAN (@cspan) February 12, 2021

House impeachment manager, Del. Stacey Plaskett pointed out the stark difference between women of color urging their followers to “fight”  for an issue and Mr. Trump, whose tweets and speeches encouraged his supporters to attack the Capitol. 

“The defense council put a lot of videos out in their defense, playing clip after clip of Black women talking about fighting for a cause or an issue or a policy,” she said. “It was not lost on me as so many of them were people of color, and women, Black women. Black women like myself, who are sick and tired of being sick and tired for our children, your children.” 

With high ranking Republicans like McConnell and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley  denouncing Trump, the increasing number of politicians who oppose the former president, and many loyal Republicans leaving the GOP, the  party is at a  crossroads.

The last straw for me was when I SAW and HEARD words come from Trumps mouth and @GOP flat out denied it – repeatedly.

I can’t anymore with a party who insists the sun rises from the west. #ILeftTheGOP #LeaveTheGOP #ComplicitCorruptGOP

— Erin J. Guentzel (@ErinJGuentzel) February 14, 2021

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But what if I told you there is a hidden gem tucked away in New York City’s backyard, in Paterson, New Jersey, called the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. 

Or as I sometimes refer to it, the mini Niagara Falls. 

In 1791, Alexander Hamilton envisioned America’s first planned industrial city at the Paterson Great Falls.This site was selected because the hydropower created by the Passaic River was essential for getting a manufacturing center up and running. 

From above the Great Falls of the Passaic River, circa 1794, a canal and a series of raceways carried water to the mills below the falls. 

The falls were designated a National Historic Park by President Barack Obama in 2009. 

Kelsey Sirica, a Park Ranger, shows some of the duties she does around the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With each visit I take to the Paterson Great Falls, I am always captivated by what I see and learn from this historic location. 

Kelsey Sirica, a park ranger at the Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey. Photo by Kaity Assaf

Great Falls Lawn View in Paterson, New Jersey. Photo by Kaity Assaf

Kelsey Sirica brings the Welcome Center outside at the Great Falls. Photo by Kaity Assaf

Due to covid, National Park stamps are done on pieces of paper instead of passport books at the Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey. Photo by Kaity Assaf

The Passaic River cuts through the Watchung Mountains and drops more than 70 feet into a narrow cataract between walls of rock at Paterson Great Falls. Photo by Kaity Assaf

A remnant of a building on an old Allied Textile Printing site. Construction is underway on the historic industrial ruins near the Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey. Photo by Kaity Assaf

Park Ranger picks up headphones with grappler at Paterson Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey. Photo by Kaity Assaf

Kelsey Sirica says the constant use of hand sanitizer has chipped away at her nail polish at the Paterson Great Falls. Photo by Kaity Assaf

The Great Falls on the Passaic River is adjacent to the Allied Textile Printing Site in Paterson, New Jersey. Photo by Kaity Assaf

The element of water adds to the landscape of the Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey. Photo by Kaity Assaf

Kelsey Sirica wears a hazmat suit at the end of her shift to sanatize the office at the Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey. Photo by Kaity Assaf

In between ranger duties at the park, Kelsey Sirica stops to look at the Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey. Photo by Kaity Assaf

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“I did mail my ballot, but I got a call saying that my ballot wasn’t received,” Dayi said. 

Out of the estimated 3,459,392 votes, Dayi’s mail in ballot wasn’t counted. 

Braving the coronavirus risk at polls, she went to vote in person. 

Like most of the residents of this reliable blue state, Dayi casted her vote for Joe Biden.

“I want Biden to change the direction that our country is headed in, he is our only hope,” Dayi said. “Please go vote, your life depends on it, otherwise this isn’t the county you would want to live in.” 

Joanne D’Errico voted for  different reasons.

“I want Trump to win again,” D’Errico said.“He has done wonders for the last four years. He is with the peace in foreign affairs, with the economy, you name it. Trump has done every single thing he has set out to do.” 

There was no question in D’Errico’s mind as to why she voted on Election Day. 

“I don’t trust mail in ballots,” D’Errico said. “I just don’t.”  

Michelangelo Villa at Christopher Columbus Middle School in Clifton, New Jersey on November 3, 2020. Photo by Kaity Assaf

 While Michelangelo Villa wasn’t sure whether one vote mattered, he  still casted his vote.

“Everybody says one vote doesn’t make a difference, but I hope it does,” Villa said. “I vote in person because I like the experience, but also because I worry my ballot will get lost in the mail.” 

Before catching up to her mother, who was a few steps ahead of her, Maryem Girgis encouraged  everyone to go out and vote and expressed why she voted today. 

“I am a tough cookie,” Girgis said. “No pain, no gain. I am going to do it, I am going to vote in person.” 

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But Hussain of Bloomingdale, New Jersey will not be deterred by the hate. She said Muslims are just as affected by the issues that plague this country as any other American. 

“We live in this country where the economy affects us, big decisions made by our government  affect us, just like it would affect any other American person or family,” Hussain said.

With the elections looming, Muslim and Arab American voters across the United States are just as caught up in the stress and drama of the 2020 Presidential Election.

Hussain, like most Americans, is worried about COVID-19.

“There is misinformation on the national level that’s definitely making all our communities less safe, especially communities of color,”said  Hussain.

Hussain, is part of the 71% of  the Muslim American community that back Biden according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The poll showed only 18% percent of Muslim voters support Trump.

Despite the support, Hussain holds some reservations about the Democratic Party. 

“If the Republican Party is completely fine with being extreme in the other direction, the Democratic Party should be comfortable being bold in their efforts to improve and progress the United States,” she  said,

Pollsters say back in the 1990s, Muslim voters were split almost evenly in their support for Republicans and Democrats. But that gap began to widen post 9/11, when the Republican Party was perceived as more hostile to Islam.

And Trump’s presidency began with a Muslim ban.

Executive Order 13769 banned travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. 

Trump again went after, the Muslim and Arab community  just a few days ago when he tweeted that his administration has suspended, “the entry of refugees from terror-compromised nations like Syria, Somalia and Yemen.”

My Administration has suspended the entry of refugees from terror-compromised nations such as Syria, Somalia and Yemen. Biden’s plan surges refugees 700% into Minnesota, Michigan & Pennsylvania—burdening schools & hospitals while opening the floodgates to Radical Islamic Terror.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2020

“I know many Muslims in the community don’t agree that it is a Muslim ban and they call it a refugee ban, but we know that the countries that are on the list are Muslim majority countries,” Basma Alawee, a former refugge and first time voter said.

She hopes that Muslims and Arabs see how much they have in common with other targeted communities. 

 “I think it’s important for our Muslim and Arab Americans to understand that we are a part of a bigger community and we need to show up and stand in solidarity with others, including the Black community, so they can be there for us when we need them,” Alawee said.

Even though some Muslim Americans may not be thrilled by the candidates they need to choose between, they are serious about change, said Nihad Awad, the National Executive Director at CAIR.

“American Muslims want to get rid of policies and attitudes that harm them and they believe in the alternative,” Awad said. “The alternative is just to be normal. We live in  abnormal times and they want it to end.” 

In Greenville, South Carolina, Robyn Sadoon, an Irish and French Muslim American voter ,is disturbed by how the United States is viewed by the world under this administration. She said their policies have lost a lot of credibility especially when it comes to Syria, Israel-Palestine, NATO and the refugee crisis.

“I don’t think that any of us would have ever imagined that the president of this nation would be laughed at on the world stage by other world leaders,” Sadoon said. “ Much less be given such a negative and critical welcome as we have seen with massive protests against the arrival of this President in so many of the countries that he visited pre-covid.” 

A Palestinian Muslim American of Newark, New Jersey, Wajeeh Abushawish, took a different turn on the presidential election. He said he will be voting for Green Party candidate, Howie Hawkins because his overall point is less money on wars and more money put into American lives. 

“I am a believer in voting for the person whose ideals match yours the most,” Abushawish said. “He is not afraid to support Palestine either, which is taboo for some reason in the United States.” 

Arab Americans share similar concerns.

“Arab Americans have problems with Biden,” Susan Muaddi Darraj, an Arab American novelist from Maryland said. “But our energy right now needs to go in making sure that Trump doesn’t get reelected. My hope is that after the election, we can return to a respect for facts and data. I also hope we find a way to heal the different communities that have been pitted against each other under this administration.”

According to a poll by the Arab American Institute, 59% of Arab voters say they are casting their ballots for Biden compared to 35% voting to reelect Trump.

Biden wasn’t Alana Bannourah’s, a Palestinian Christian American of California, first choice but she said she will be casting her vote for him since the Democratic Party’s values align with hers. 

“I am a registered Democrat and I am definitely voting for Biden, besides the fact that I abhor Trump,” Bannourah said. “I feel like the Democratic Party’s values that match mine are the economy, healthcare, the environment lately and especially  immigration.”

Machhadie Assi putting her ballot into the ballot box in Michigan on October 30, 2020. Photo courtesy of Machhadie Assi

If there is one major issue on the minds of all American voters entering November 3, it is post-election violence. Machhadie Assi, a  Lebanese Muslim American and a Victim Advocate for Michigan’s Attorney General Office, is frightened at the prospect of how Biden and Trump voters will react because people are emotional going into this election.  

“I am actually more concerned about the reaction of people if Biden wins than if Trump wins” Assi said. “Our  country has gone through a lot of hate and it’s in a sensitive stage right now. The result of the election will either escalate the division or not and I worry it will.” 

But Assi is trying to remain  hopeful of what is to come in the next four years.

“I hope we can gain back the respect the world has had for the United States of America under the new administration,” said Assi.

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“Is it terrible that I felt a little happy? I mean, I know that’s not a very nice thing to say, but given how belligerent Trump has been about downplaying the seriousness of Covid-19, I feel like this is divine irony,” Sara Ahmed, of Houston, Texas said. “ If it were anyone else, I would be hopeful that this experience would change the way he governs during the pandemic, but knowing Trump’s record, I can’t be optimistic that he will learn anything from it.” 

In Portland, Oregon, Victoria Alexandra, a Trump supporter, disagreed and said that she only wishes that the president takes the time to rest while he quarantines for 14 days. 

“I believe this will be a time of mental clarity and insight for Trump in the midst of mocking, finger pointing, and torment,” Alexandra said. “ This is not the time to come under fear, but to be positioned, sober-minded and ready to watch and see how God will reveal himself to America. Join me as we pray for our president’s wellbeing.” 

Hours before Trump annuonced his diagnosis, he traveled to a fundraiser he held at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Elizabeth Meyer, a Democrat, said she and her daughters watched Marine One, the helicopter that carries the president fly over her  house in Branchburg, New Jersey en route to Bedminster. This morning, she said , that event took on a different perspective for her. 

“Learning that the president knew he was exposed, and yet, was flying to a fundraiser, consciously putting his supporters, staff and reporters at risk is indicative of his apathy, placement of profit over people and his intentional ignorance towards COVID-19,” Meyer said. “This is another distressing twist in the run up to an already tumultuous and unprecedented election day.”  

According to The New York Times, Trump has repeatedly downplayed the risk of the virus and behaved in ways that public health experts have said risked spreading the virus. He has refused to wear a mask in public and questioned its effectiveness. He has held crowded rallies where attendees did not wear masks. 

Initially, Democratic Mayor Mohamed Khairullah of Prospect Park, New Jersey  said he didn’t believe that President Trump contracted COVID. It was only after he went to his twitter account  that he was able to confirm it was true. 

“In my opinion, the president has never taken the virus seriously,” Khairullah said. “ He thought he was immune to the virus since he was constantly accompanied by staff that made sure his surroundings were safe and sanitary.”  

Dylan Ward, a student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, fears that the country will  go into chaos if Trump dies. 

“We are already divided as a nation at this time,” Ward said. “The passing of Trump will only widen it and lead to civil unrest.” 

Eight out of every 10 deaths attributed to the virus in the United States have been among those   65 and older. This puts President Trump, who is 74, at a high risk.

Khairullah hopes that President Trump will now set a better example for fellow Americans who haven’t done so yet, to take the virus more seriously.

“I urge everyone to be careful and follow proper precautions to slow the spread of the virus,” Khairullah said.“If you feel that the virus won’t harm you, think about a loved one that you might transmit the virus to–that you might lose– if they catch the invisible enemy.” 

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“I prefer to vote from the comfort of my own home without feeling rushed to fill out my ballot,”Marian Hervias, a student at Seton Hall University said.

 Hervias was brought up in a democratic household, but is going to cast her vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. She said she wants to make an impact by voting. 

“I think my moral belief drove me to vote this election,” Hervias said. “I know faith and politics tend to clash, but if I stand for something, I am not going to stay quiet about it. As a Catholic, life is very valuable to me and if voting has something to do with protecting it, then I will vote for pro-life. Meaning, my vote is for Trump.” 

According to NJ Spotlight News, about 4 million ballots are expected to be cast, and nearly all of them are likely to be mailed in or dropped off at secure locations. 

Ever since she was eligible to vote, Nikita Bendre, a resident of Edison in Middlesex county and a senior at Rutgers University–Newark said she has opted to get the ballot in the mail. 

“It just suits my schedule better and gives me flexibility,” Bendre said. “Plus, I want to take COVID precautions and I do wish to go out in a crowd. If there also happens to be an even safer option for voting, I am all for it.” 

There is a possibility that mail-in ballots will lead to fraud, Hervias thinks, and she is afraid that her vote will not count. 

“Anything can be skewed based on who will be handling the ballots,” Hervias said. “I definitely think there will be some flaws, but that is not going to deter me from casting my vote by mail.” 

In accordance with the Associated Press, Trump’s now-disbanded voting integrity commission uncovered no evidence to support claims of widespread voter fraud. 

While voters are just opting in for mail-in voting this election season, Christine Clarke, an environmental advocate and a mother of four, signed up for it a few years ago. 

“I signed up because I liked the privilege of voting early,” Clarke said. “I liked knowing that I could cast my vote safely and securily by a trackable and non-hackable paper ballot. And then volunteer my time on election day helping other people to vote.”  

A democratic young voter and resident in North Jersey, Javon Brown, views voting as a duty to participate in democracy. He said neither the presidential debate nor his parents will sway which way he votes. 

“At first while growing up, my parents’ teachings did influence me,” Brown said. “But now, they don’t. I choose to mail in my ballot because going to a crowded poll is counterproductive to efforts trying to end the pandemic.” 

One way we can control the narrative of our nation’s character is if we all go out and vote Clarke said. 

Ricky Castaneda, a senior at Rutgers-Newark echoed the words of Clarke. He believes voting shouldn’t be taken for granted because not everyone is able to exercise that right. 

“No matter who you want to vote for, just make sure you go out and vote,” Castaneda said. “ Voting is a very small step, but the impact it has is worthwhile.”

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Now some Democratic voters fear what will come next. 

“The future of this country is at stake,” Mohammad Sikandar, a young voter and the Political Director of Progressive Democrats of New Jersey said. “This includes the potential dismantling of Roe v. Wade, reinforcement of Voter ID Laws and racist bannings, as seen with Mr. Trump’s Muslim ban. One Supreme Court Nominee could impact decades of work that our communities have put into various movements.” 

Democrats were hoping that the Republican majority would follow the precedent they set when they blocked President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick B. Garland, from receiving a hearing with eight months left in his term.  They said it was too close to Election Day. But now with a Republican president at the helm, the majority has changed its mind.

Daniel Brown, a New Jersey prosecutor said that the rushed nomination is being politicized and the outcome should be based on the law and concepts of justice. 

 “The Republican party ought to follow precedent and there are several reasons for this,” said Brown.“ This is at best a 25th hour appointment. When Mitt Romney said that the confirmation will move ahead because both the President and the Senate are from the same party, to me, that translated to: we are proceeding because we have the political power to do so.”

Dr. Elizabeth Hull, Chair of the Political Science Department at Rutgers Newark, said if the Supreme Court confirmation occurs, the decisions that will be made moving forward will not serve as a “neutral empire”  worthy of the public’s support.

“In the past, most of us have accepted the court’s decisions, however much we may have disagreed with them,” said Hull. “ I am no longer convinced that will be the case now.”

Two Republican senators who have broke ranks with President Trump on a Supreme Court confirmation are Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Ruth Weinar Sherman Ross of West Orange, New Jersey,  said that they aren’t withholding their votes to go against their party, but because they are prioritizing different interests.

“Susan Collins is in a tough spot. She is running against a very strong young woman [Sara Gideon] who also happens to be a Democratic contender in Maine’s Senate Race,” said Ross. “Murkowski is a different story. She has shown herself willing to follow—if only sometimes—principle.”

Dylan Terpstra, the student body president at Rutgers University–Newark, said he does not see any hope of  delaying  a confirmation. 

“I think procedurally Democrats can’t really do anything about it,” Terpestra said. “The Republican party has the majority votes, which gives them the  power to set the agenda. They can decide what to delay. He can’t be stopped at this point. There is no doubt in my mind that America will have a conservative court. ” 

But there is still hope that Romney may change his mind.

On Wednesday, when Trump was asked whether he would commit to a peaceful transition, he said he needs to see what happens and believes he would win  the election without the expansion of mail-in voting during the pandemic. His comment prompted Romney to speak out, once again, against the president. 

 “Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable,” Romney said. 

Despite the potential outcome, Brown still has trust in the institution. 

“There are so many examples of people growing, evolving and surprising us with their positions,” Brown said. “One of my favorite Justices on the Supreme Court is Hugo Black.  He was prior to that a member of the Ku Klux Klan who then became a great protector of individual rights and individual liberties. I will continue to have faith in the Supreme Court. I will continue to have faith in the law as a whole.” 

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