What Will the History Books Say About This Impeachment?

The monthslong impeachment process that ended Wednesday could feel like a blur of news and political theater all leading up to a foregone conclusion. Donald Trump is still the president. Americans’ confidence in the whole political process, whatever their party, is still dented. So what did we all just live through?

Throughout the impeachment proceedings, POLITICO Magazine convened a panel of experts on the rare and dramatic event called impeachment. In response to the acquittal vote, we asked them to look into the future and offer one more insight: How will the history books look back on this moment? What was it all for—the rhetoric, the ceremony, the investigations, the defense, the taxpayer money?

We asked them to spice their expertise with some imagination and write a paragraph from the history books of 2070, the one describing the impeachment process’ lasting effects on American government and politics. Depending on which universe we end up with in 2070, the impeachment will have accelerated the political rise of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, “ushered in the age of the imperial presidency,” or “sounded the death knell of impeachment as a bulwark against an outlaw president,” according to the experts. Read on for more.