12 of the biggest moments in US politics in 2023
Highlights of 2023 US politics
The year 2023 witnessed many political dramas that will have long-term repercussions. From Kevin McCarthy's House speakership to the never-ending indictments against Donald Trump to George Santos's expulsion from the House, the year saw significant events shaping its political future for 2024. Let us take a look at the 12 important highlights of 2023.
January: Kevin McCarthy becomes House Speaker
After days of intensive negotiations and failed votes, Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy was elected as House Speaker of the 118th Congress on January 7. The California lawmaker won at the 15th round of voting and came into power leading the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. McCarthy won the vote after making key concessions and promises, including a rule that any member of the House can call for a motion to remove the Speaker.
February: Chinese surveillance balloon shot down
US and China, the world's two greatest powers, entered a diplomatic crisis when a Chinese spy balloon was first spotted in the US airspace near Alaska at the end of January. It even led to the cancellation of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to China. On February 4, the Air Force shot down the surveillance balloon using an F-22, launching a missile over the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of South Carolina. The Chinese foreign ministry claimed the high-altitude surveillance balloon, nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty, was for meteorological purposes.
March: A Manhattan grand jury indicts Trump over hush money
After nearly five years of investigation, on March 30, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Donald Trump over hush money, making him the first former president to face a criminal charge. The charges centered on hush-money payments his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, made in 2016 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her not going public with claims of Trump's extramarital sexual encounters with her. The former president responded to the indictment, calling it "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history."
April: Pentagon documents leak
A trove of highly classified Pentagon intelligence documents exposing the United States' deep involvement in the Russia-Ukriane was leaked on April 5 on the 4chan website. The classified documents included details of the US spying on its close allies, including Ukraine, Israel, and South Korea. On April 14, the FBI arrested Jack Teixeira, 21, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, for leaking the documents through the popular game chat platform Discord.
May: United States debt-ceiling crisis
After the US Treasury tried to avoid the debt ceiling crisis since January, it warned of the chances of cash running out as early as June 1. And the month of May marked a significant period in deciding to avoid a catastrophic default. After weeks of warnings of potential disaster, President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy reached a deal to increase the debt ceiling on May 28. The risky agreement raised the debt limit for two years and capped spending over that time.
June: Special counsel Jack Smith charges Trump in Florida with 37 felonies
On June 8, a grand jury in the Southern Florida District Court indicted former President Donald Trump on 37 felony counts for mishandling classified documents after he left the White House. The indictment came after the investigation led by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith. According to Smith, Trump was indicted over "felony violations of our national security laws" and "participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice." The indictment said that the former president shared classified documents on the nation's military operations with people who did not have a security clearance and also stored classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
July: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell freezes on camera
On July 26, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suddenly froze during a Senate press conference in the Capitol. According to NBC News, while making the opening remarks about an annual defense policy bill in the weekly Republican leadership news conference, McConnel went abruptly silent for 19 seconds. Sen John Barrasso of Wyoming, a physician, escorted the 81-year-old Senator away from the cameras and reporters. A few minutes later, he returned to continue the press conference, saying he was fine.
August: Trump is indicted for the third and fourth time in connection to the 2020 elections
On August 1, a DC federal court indicted Trump for the third time in four months on felony charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. The 45-page indictment, comprising four counts, accused the former president of conspiring to obstruct Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory, which ultimately led to the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021. Subsequently, on August 14, a grand jury in Georgia issued a fourth indictment, consisting of 13 counts, further charging Trump for his endeavors to overturn the 2020 election results.
September: Biden joins picket line with UAW striking workers - the first president to do so
On September 26, in a historic move, President Biden supported the striking car workers in Michigan by joining their picket line, making him the first sitting president to do so. He joined the United Auto Workers (UAW) union members in Michigan and urged them to "stick with it," saying the auto industry workers deserve a "significant" raise and other benefits. The landmark visit came a day before Trump was due to speak to the auto workers.
October: Kevin McCarthy ousted as Speaker
The Republican-led House of Representatives ousted GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy on October 3 by a 216-to-210 vote. Eight Republicans voted to oust McCarthy, making it the first time a House Speaker was removed in history. The unusual drama unfolded whenRep Matt Gaetz led a rebellion against the Speaker after the latter depended on Democratic votes to help pass a bill to avoid chances of a partial government shutdown.
November: 2023 Israel-Hamas war protests in the USA
The outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7 has brought the nation into a severely divided state. However, there were calls for peace also. On November 6, around 500 members and supporters of Jewish Voice for Peace-New York City (JVP-NYC) staged a sit-in demonstration at New York's Statue of Liberty demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. The demonstrators waved flags and sang pro-peace songs as the number of fatalities increased on both Palestine's and Israel's sides.
December: The House votes 311–114 to expel George Santos
US's political drama continued till the last month. On December 1, the House of Representatives voted 311 to 114 to expel GOP lawmaker George Santos, making him the sixth member in the nation's history to get ousted by his colleagues. The New York Congressman's nearly a year career in the House ended over criminal corruption charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
