Im katty kay with Christian Fraser on capitol hill in washington. We on capitol hill in washington. Apologise for being 6 as we apologise for being a little late as christian was having a nap after as christian was having a nap after a very long a few days. Not true, we had a few technical problems. On the night before the us senate votes in his impeachment trial, donald trump came to capitol hill and reminded americans why hes such a divisive figure. His state of the Union Address began with republicans chanting four more years and democrats walking out early in disgust. Welcome to Campaign Season 2020. The president touted a litany of his economic achievements, several of which were disputed by fact checkers. He made direct appeals to groups of voters who might help him win re election suburban women, manufacturing workers, even African Americans. This was more Campaign Rally than state of the union. Heres our north america editorjon sopel. Paradoxically, the standout moments from this speech contained no words. It was the psychodrama between the president and the democratic speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, the woman who led the moves to impeach donald trump. First off, he very deliberately refused to shake her hand. And look at her facial expressions as the speech progresses. And finally the coup de grace as republican lawmakers are blistering their hands from clapping so much, nancy pelosi made clear what she thought of the speech. Impeachment was never mentioned directly. Instead, it was a victory lap on his achievements particularly the state of the economy. Jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and our country is thriving and highly respected again. It was a speech aimed at his blue collar and conservative base, but there was also an attempt to broaden his appeal. This is election year, after all, and it was noticeable how much he talked about the African American community. African American Youth unemployment has reached an all time low. African american poverty has declined to the lowest rate ever recorded. But look at the sea of faces, either loving or loathing a microcosm of america. Jon sopel, bbc news, washington. Lets bring injonathan turley, constitutional law professor lets go live to the senate. Senator mitt romney is speaking. He has just told the senate he has voted to remove the president from office. Does anyone seriously believe that i will consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before god demanded of me . I sought to hear testimony from john bolton not only because i believed he could add context to the charges but also because i hoped that what he might say could raise reasonable doubt and thus remove from me the awful obligation to vote for impeachment. Like each member of this deliberative body, i love our country. I believe that our constitution was inspired by providence. I am convinced that freedom itself is dependent on the strength and vitality of our national character. As it is with each senator, my vote is an act of conviction. We have come to different conclusions, fellow senators, but i trust we have all follow the dictates of our conscience. Acknowledge that my verdict would not remove the president from office. The results of this senate court will in fact be appealed to a higher court, the judgement of the American People. Voters will make the final Decision Just as the president s lawyers have implored. My vote will likely be in the minority in the senate. But irrespective of these things, with my vote, i will tell my children, their children that i did my duty to their children that i did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected of me. I will only be one name among many, no more, no less. To future generations of americans who look at the record of americans who look at the record of this trial. They will note merely that i was among the senators who determined that with the president did was wrong, grievously wrong. We are all footnotes at best in the annals of history. But in the most powerful nation on earth, the nation conceived in liberty and justice, that distinction is enough for any citizen. Thank you, mr president. I yield the floor. That was mitt romney the senator from utah who was told the senate that he will vote to remove the president from office on the first article of impeachment. That is abuse of power. He is the only republican as far as we understand who is going to break party ra n ks understand who is going to break party ranks and find the president guilty after this senate trial. It does not mean as you heard the senators say they are that the president will be removed from office but it is a stand that President Trump will not appreciate. A repudiation of not only donald trump who is very popular in it mitt romneys state of utah but also a repudiation of his colleagues. There are colleagues more toward the centre who believe the president did do something wrong and this was not a perfect call and he is pointing to that evidence and say that is what we needed to hearfrom that evidence and say that is what we needed to hear from a former National Security adviserjohn bolton, to get some clarity on what we saw through this trial. Lets bring injonathan turley, constitutional law professor at George Washington university. Hes in our washington studio. I want to get your reaction to that breaking news that mitt romney will vote to remove the president from office on that one article of impeachment, abuse of power. Office on that one article of impeachment, abuse of powerlj thought it was an excellent speech. I dont think anyone who has had even passing interactions with senator mitt romney would doubt his veracity. I think that he has taken this book very seriously and he has fulfilled his oath as he believes it must be fulfilled. It is a decision that could very well put a lot of pressure on senator Susan Collins. She has already indicated she will not vote to convey it, she will vote to acquit. And for that she may be getting added blowback in her state iiow getting added blowback in her state now that one republican has broken ranks. This is now technically a bipartisan effort to convict the president. I was also glad to see senator rodney rejected the second article of impeachment dealing with obstruction of congress. That is the article that i testified against most vociferously in the house. I think that was a very flawed article. In that article could well add a bipartisan element the other way. It is possible that a couple of Democratic Senators may be troubled by article two and it joined the republicans in voting to acquit him of that article. You say that it is now a bipartisan impeachment but of course there are democrats on the other side he were going to have trouble with this vote. Some of them in purple states and submit republican states. Think of doug jones of alabama and a joked mansion of West Virginia and from arizona, they might go the opposite way. We have heard in the last 2a hours from jerry nadler, the chair of the judiciary committee, he says he will still subpoena john bolton. Word does that go . If they acquit today, where does that process go . M does that go . If they acquit today, where does that process go . It is a curious position of the house of representatives. When i testify, i strongly encourage them to wait a couple of months to complete this record. It was an incomplete record, it was guaranteed to fail. And more importantlyjohn it was guaranteed to fail. And more importantly john bolton back it was guaranteed to fail. And more importantlyjohn bolton back then was saying he was one to testify if the house subpoenaed him. None of it made a lot of sense to some of us. They rushed the boat and they waited a month and that effectively nothing. And now after the vote, they will subpoena john bolton. So there will be a lot of questions as to what coherent strategy the house leadership ever had here. Now clearly they could subpoena john bolton to come and do some greater damage to the president but the thing to keep in mind is that this is almost a many people have turned the sound off. They really came to this for the conclusion. People in the United States tend to be increasingly at sideload in their news that they get. This sort of echoed journalism where they hear what they want to hear. So even if bolton comes in and has that moment, that sort of hands a duffel bag moment that shocks everyone in that committee, it may not move the needle much. People are pretty baked it is to how they view this impeachment. How does mitt romney and it is only one senator, the other republican senators will vote to acquit the president , but how does it change historys reading of this impeachment trial . |j does it change historys reading of this impeachment trial . I dont think history will be kind to either side. This is not the way to impeach a president and it is not the way to try a president in impeachment. I think both sides will be show in history to have made to consequential if not catastrophic blunders. The house made a historic blunders. The house made a historic blunder by rushing this vote. It will not look well in history. It was a mistake that cost of the impeachment. They handed the record notjust of the impeachment. They handed the record not just of the opposing impeachment. They handed the record notjust of the opposing house but to the opposing party and then asked if they would please complete what they had failed to do in the house. They could have done that. They could have waited to my march and april is when i suggested, and had a lot more in terms of a record to go forward with. It would not necessarily have change the result that would have made it much more difficult for the sleep senators. The white house with a colossal blunder in concert in their defence around this theory by professor Alan Dershowitz. Their position was it is all invalid because you dont have a crime, that abuse of power is not a basis to impeach someone on. The minute that Alan Dershowitz sat down, this case became the dershowitz defence. They met a lot of good points but all of that was lost. And i think it robs a president of any legitimacy historically because people will speculate whether the senators based their vote on what was a deeply flawed and widely discredited theory of constitutional law. Valuable contacts. Thank you very much for your thoughts. To remind you, mitt rounded the senator from you dont have to sit on the floor of the senate that he is going to vote in favour of the first article of impeachment that there was an abuse of power. Met robbie from utah. He assumed republican who will vote that way because Susan Collins from maine said she did not think she will vote that way. Therell be repercussions to that and we will see and keep our ears across what else is going on the senate floor over the next few hours. It is worth pointing out that level of hostility we saw at the senate and have seen in the senate over recent days was there in the chamber yesterday as well. At the state of the Union Address. For the president , well. At the state of the Union Address. Forthe president , both republican and democrats can was normally a bipartisan affair. Not this time. Case in point here. Applause. Indistinct chatter. Applause. Asjon mentioned, nancy pelosi rather theatrically ripped up her copy of the speech just as the president finished talking. Thats received a lot of attention on tv and social media today, not least from the president , who tweeted and retweeted on the incident more than 20 times showing his disdain. Meanwhile, the substance of the speech has been subject to intense debate over the facts. Republicans clearly liked what they heard, but democrats said the president was lying about his record. Weve put some of the main points to our own Fact Checking team. We have created seven million jobs, and the Unemployment Rate is the lowest in half a century. That is true. There is some context needed here. During the first three years, the 6. 7 millionjobs have been created in america. During the last three yea rs of in america. During the last three years of the obama administration, 8. 3 millionjobs were years of the obama administration, 8. 3 million jobs were created. That is false. No one will dispute the fact the American Economy is humming. Jobs and on employment are good. Look back at the bill clinton record, they noticed 4 1 at one point and nudged 5 under barack obama. That is false. In fact, the president s lawyers are in court as we speak trying to get the Affordable Care act from president obama that made a prefix in condition for health care overturned and made also conditional. Were joined now by cassie smedile, Deputy Communications director of the Republican National committee. Some faqs disputed but some patently false. There were also a tonne of true positive facts that the democrats could not smile about let alone applaud. This was a speech for the American People. The president spoke of it to the American People despite the people in the review may not like him, it was for those at home he needed to hear and be reminded, unfiltered with full context of all the good that is happening in our country. They heard that message loud and clear and you are seeing that in the way they have responded to last nights speech which has been overwhelmingly positive. It was very wellreceived in the chamber last night. Plenty of Standing Ovations from people at the beginning who perhaps did not believe in donald trump. When you look at his Approval Rating at the moment, has been climbing week on week in recent times and last night at 49 . So when you look at that, acquitted today and whatever mitt romney has said some of the mess in iowa, the speech last night, he goes into a iowa, the speech last night, he goes intoa campaign iowa, the speech last night, he goes into a campaign probably in a better position that he could ever have imagined. A great week for a President Trump and republicans and for the country. You mentioned i will come of that was yes technologically a disaster but as you look at the candidates on the left, no one is emerging as a favourite. Left, no one is emerging as a favourite. Look left, no one is emerging as a favourite. Look at iowa. The Democratic Party is not registering with average Everyday Americans and neither are there candidates. Conversely, President Trump, go to his rallies and people are lining up 40 hours in advance sometimes but on average a quarter of the attendees are registered democrats. Sometimes more than half the crowd not republicans. That is not happening oii republicans. That is not happening on the left. That is a movement and if some people like what they are seeing from this president so far. Let me ask you about the breaking news that mitt romney says he will vote to give it the president on the first article of impeachment. How disappointed are you that you will not get a clean slate on the republican side and there will be a bipartisan effort technically to convict the president on abuse of power . Disappointed is the right word but i think that is what his constituents are probably saying about him right now. So a poll today that the president is more popular in utah than the junior senator so he will have to reconcile with his constituents. And we know from a wide last of a polling that the American People are not interested in this impeachment trial. They are interested in their elected officials working on the priorities i that the better work on, something that has not really happened. Relative senator is about to vote to remove the president from office potentially because of abuse of power. Mitt romney certainly has not been quiet about his disagreements with the president and i dont think they are the same style a person. But that again is going to have to be something for all senators and thatis be something for all senators and that is a case and will have to go back and part of their constituents about who overwhelmingly support the president and support the results of this administration. Thank you very much. I have got the pronunciation right now, thank you forjoining us. It is very cosy on this balcony, i worry you will help me over. You have been here a while, christian. I think worth pointing out that mitt romney is dealing with issues in his state the other republican senators are not. He has had a history with the president. He was taken out to dinnerfamously become the president. He was taken out to dinner famously become a very awkward and are in new york where he was photographed as he was being wooed for secretary of state and then was overturned. But he is one republican senator who has spoken out consistently against the president. On a variety of issues. He has made his views clear and President Trump has a 45 Approval Rating in utah which is lower than the National Average of the moment. There are figures today we have seen today in the gallup polling climbing and climbing and lots people think they are better in the pocket and think they are doing well with the economy. Last night he spoke about a blue collar movement. That is something that is really going to hurt democrats on the campaign trail. Look at those economic figures and a blue collar boom to my moving into their territory. Also been fact checked on that because manufacturing job growth has not been as high in some places as he has claimed that he reached out directly people in michigan, wisconsin, pennsylvania and reached out to afric