Impeachment Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

With merely less than a week left for the Trump presidency, the US House of Representatives, where Democrats hold a majority, voted 232-197 to impeach President Donald Trump for "incitement of insurrection" at last week's Capitol riots. Trump is the first president in US history to be impeached twice.

Despite raising doubts about the election results, Trump has finally acknowledged that president-elect Joe Biden will be the next president and promised a smooth transfer of power. This means he has actually admitted his defeat in the election. Against this backdrop, the Democratic Party still insists that Trump must be impeached, which indicates the fierce partisan and political struggles in the US. 

Yet Trump still has many supporters. He is still the incumbent president. According to US laws, as long as he is in office, he is the Commander-in-Chief of all the armed forces of the US, and relevant authorities must carry out his instructions and orders. Trump has supporters in the US government and military. Therefore, the Democrats aim to achieve the following goals by impeaching Trump. 

First, they want to take advantage of the Capitol riots to strike a blow against Trump. The raid on the Capitol Hill, a symbol of the democratic political system in the US, has seriously tarnished the US international image. Many feel it has pulled the US from atop the altar of democratic politics worldwide. Trump and his supporters have received much criticism from the US public, including some Republicans. At this moment, the Democrats can not only mobilize their own party but also take advantage of the public's dissatisfaction against Trump to hit out at him with a final blow. It's a rare opportunity.    

Second, an impeachment will damage Trump's personal image, exert political pressure on him, and provide more possibilities to hold him accountable for fines or punishment. The impeachment has made Trump the first president in US history to be impeached twice, causing great damage to Trump's image and tarnishing those around him. More importantly, this offers a possibility for Democrats to continue to suppress Trump after he leaves office. The Democrats aim to root out Trump's political influence in the long run and with the aim of permanently keeping him away from government. 

Third, Democrats aim to deter other members of the Trump team and prevent Trump's personal impulsiveness to further influence US domestic and foreign policies. 

They intend to warn Trump's cabinet members and heads of relevant departments that an impeached and outgoing president is not worth their obedience - even if they have to implement the president's order based on laws. The US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff stressed the job of the military was to support and defend the Constitution in an unusual message sent to the entire American armed forces on Tuesday. This is actually a warning to Trump's supporters within the military that they shouldn't listen to Trump on internal affairs and that the US military should maintain its loyalty to the nation and political neutrality. 

Fourth, Democrats want to drive a wedge between Trump and Republican heavyweights. The Democrats defined the Capitol riots as an attack on US democracy and the Constitution, blaming Trump personally for the raid. This is tantamount to labeling Trump anti-democratic and anti-Constitutional. In this case, some Republican heavyweights have to draw a clear line with Trump. The division within the Republican Party will intensify, having long-term impacts on the party. 

In short, the purpose of the Democrats is to prevent Trump from taking the plunge to bring the US into a dangerous situation and restrain Trump's behavior. Therefore, the offensive legal challenges against Trump are aimed to ensure an orderly transfer of power on January 20 and Biden's smooth inauguration ceremony. The Democrats think the impeachment means a safety lock on Trump.

(The author is director of Institute of Strategic Studies and International Security, Fudan Institute of Belt and Road & Global Governance,director of South Asian Studies Center at Fudan University and Professorat the Center for American Studies.opinion@globaltimes.com.cn)