Florida voters on Trump: 'An acquittal was correct … I just wish he would shut up'

Donald Trump might consider himself exonerated by his acquittal in the US Senate, but for many voters in Florida the impeachment trial still left a black cloud over his presidency that could shadow him all the way to the ballot box in November.

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Even among some Republicans who insist Trump’s impeachment was a partisan political persecution by his Democratic opponents, there is concern the investigation and Senate trial outcome could have fired up enough undecided or independent voters to deny him victory and Florida’s crucial 29 electoral college votes.

“It was wrong he was impeached and the trial was a sham, but I worry the Democrats are going to keep saying there weren’t witnesses, and it wasn’t fair, and all that BS, you know?” said Sammy Ortiz, a car mechanic and registered Republican voter from Coral Springs.

“Some of that is going to stick. Some people are going to believe that. So we’re going to have to be on top of our game to make sure he gets [re-]elected. We’ve got to talk about the economy and jobs. We have to make sure people see the impeachment for what it was: a show trial to boost [Democratic leader] Nancy Pelosi’s ego.”

Ortiz, 37, was one of a number of Florida voters canvassed by the Guardian on Thursday. Their views on the trial and acquittal split along the same markedly partisan lines of Trump’s acquittal by Republican senators on Wednesday. Opinions were more mixed on the impact the impeachment proceedings might have on the presidential election.

“People had their minds made up before any of this started, especially since the Senate trial didn’t have witnesses and finished pretty quickly before it was possible for any information to come to light that would sway anyone,” said Rita Mackenberg, 46, a Democrat from Pompano Beach.

For Mackenberg, putting Trump on trial was a matter of principle. “The impeachment process was both a political move but also an attempt to show the American public that the Democratic party has expectations of integrity and ethical behavior,” she said.

“They knew he was never going to be removed from office by the Senate. I think it was aimed at those who voted for Trump because it was him or Hillary, or who always vote Republican but might be too squeamish to really tolerate what it seems is necessary to be a Trump supporter.”

Republican Susan Edwards believes Trump should avoid bragging over his acquittal.

“Some of the things he says, I just wish he would shut up. It’s his mouth that bothers me, or his Twitter account,” said Edwards, 72, from Tampa.

“I don’t think what he did was honorable. However, others have done the same, worse or somewhere in between. I don’t think that impeachment should have been brought, an acquittal was correct. But it’s something that only time’s going to tell.”

Edwards, who said she is undecided about her own vote, believes Trump might have gained standing from the verdict. “Among the more rural blue-collar folk, I think he’s stronger,” she said.

“I would love to say I have totally decided I’m not going to vote for him again because his mouth just does drive me crazy. [But] my 401k is pretty good, my daughter’s company is doing extremely well, so I don’t know. I don’t think the Democrats have put up anyone yet that can beat him.”

Computer programmer Ed MacKenzie, 51, of Plantation, said Democrats had no choice other than impeachment.

“It’s like seeing somebody running a red light in front of a cop and the cop not going after them. It’s just what’s right and what’s wrong, it’s the law,” said MacKenzie, a military veteran and former Republican who switched allegiance after Trump took office.

“More than it emboldens Trump, I think this acquittal paints what a sycophantic party the Republicans are for this president. It gives you a measure of their commitment to him, or their fear of him. They’re just afraid of losing their seats.

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“Maybe after this vote there will be some rumbling, maybe the people who have been enabling him are going to feel, ‘Maybe I’m in trouble’. This has really strengthened my resolve to say: I’m never voting for the Republican party again. It just can’t be trusted to stand up for what’s right.”

Others predicted a mobilization in Florida against Trump in the coming months.

“Democratic voters are enraged, and they’re really going to get their act together and fight for this election,” said Billie Cousans, 50, from Coral Springs.

“Whether that’s the same on the Republican side I don’t know, but Democrats are not happy with the result and I think a lot of [Republican] senators will lose their seats in November. There was obvious obstruction of Congress and withholding evidence. You cannot not impeach a president who’s put his own interest above the country’s interests.”