Why 'Impeach Trump' Protests Miss The Mark

It's no secret that protests, walk-outs, and other demonstrations have grabbed hold of the nation's major cities in the wake of Donald Trump's election last week. Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and beyond to resist the results of Election Day, and it doesn't seem like the activism will end any time soon. An "Impeach Trump" protest has already been planned, and supporters of the impeachment movement are calling for organization to continue into the days of Trump's presidency. It's an alarming development in the anti-Trump movement that is sending the wrong message to Americans post-Election Day.

Since Election Day, protestors have marched through city streets chanting things like, "Not my president," about President-elect Trump. Now, there are reports of planned "Impeach Trump" protests as well, including one in Miami. In a way, the response to Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton makes sense: Although he secured more than enough electoral votes to claim the White House, he lost the popular vote. His polarizing comments about immigrants, women, and minority groups throughout the campaign set off a loud "Never Trump" movement, and that movement is now colliding with the fact that Trump will be moving into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue very much before "never."

Although it makes sense, the "Not My President" message is counter-productive, since Trump will soon be America's president. The "Impeach Trump" movement sends a similar message, but with plans to somehow remove Trump from office once he is inaugurated. It acknowledges that Trump will become president, but it's ultimately rooting for him to fail.

Filmmaker Michael Moore is perhaps the most recognizable proponent of the movement to impeach Trump. Last week, he posted a long-winded status on Facebook, calling for supporters of his movement to organize and prepare ahead of Inauguration Day. "We must organize the apparatus that will bring charges against him when he violates his oath and breaks the law — and then we must remove him from office," Moore wrote.

While Moore and others who want to impeach Trump are rooting for the president-elect to fail, waiting in the wings for an opportunity to throw him out of office, others, including President Obama, are rooting for Trump's success. That's because as president, Trump's success is the country's success. "We are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country," Obama said last week after Trump's historic win. He echoed similar sentiments after meeting with Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday.

I want to emphasize to you, Mr. President-elect, that we now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed because if you succeed, then the country succeeds.

Rooting for Trump to make a mistake — and an impeachable one, at that — is like rooting for future chaos and instability. What's more, impeaching Trump would only result in Mike Pence becoming president, and those who protest Trump's administration probably aren't vocal supporters of Pence. Instead of promoting the impeachment message, let's focus on finding ways to work within the Trump administration for a better future.