I can remember the restless election night in 2016 when I learned, at The Triangle offices, that Donald Trump would become the 45th president of the United States.

My immediate reaction was that of shock and absolute horror. The one person who should not have been president, as evidenced by his lack of qualifications, severe xenophobia and apparent connections to foreign governments who are sworn enemies of the United States, is now leader of the free world.

Despite Trump’s notoriety during his campaign, never in my wildest nightmares could I have predicted any event that happened in the past three years.

There is, however, one thing I hoped for that may now happen. A historic event that has been on a lot of people’s minds, certainly after the release of the Mueller Report. Would Donald Trump become the third president in United States history to be impeached?

At the moment, it’s slowly becoming clear that the answer will be yes, considering that Trump asked both the Ukranian and Chinese governments to investigate Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden.

In his report, Robert Mueller alleged that Trump obstructed justice on 10 different occasions. Trump’s own rhetoric associates him with Russia, North Korea and the KKK, and his vindictive tweets only shed light on his true allegiances. All things considered, it was only a matter of time before an impeachment inquiry.

Many people will get their wish: Trump will most likely be impeached by the House. However, that’s only part one. If Trump is to be removed from office, he will have to be convicted by a majority of the United States Senate, which is Republican-controlled. So, most likely, Donald Trump will remain president.

However, what if, by some sheer luck, Donald Trump is convicted and is stripped of the title Commander-In-Chief? Would we be better off? Honestly, no.

Don’t get me wrong: I would love to see Trump deposed as president, simply because of my disdain for the man. However, when you consider that Mike Pence would become the next president of the United States, you’ll run for the hills.

The old adage goes: “The only thing more dangerous than someone who doesn’t care about the rules is someone who does — and wants to break them anyway.” That’s an appropriate way to describe the difference between Trump and Pence.

While Trump had no political experience before becoming President, Pence served as the Governor of Indiana and a representative in the House. While Trump has proven to be a fake believer in Christianity, Pence has considered himself a hardcore Catholic, to the point of creating anti-abortion and pro-LGBT discrimination laws during his time as an Indiana lawmaker. While Trump knows how to manipulate the system, Pence knows precisely how to twist it to suit his needs given his political experience. And while Donald Trump is a proven liar, Mike Pence can weave the lies with the skill of a politician and hold people under his spell. Don’t believe me? Check his polling numbers while a serving the state of Indiana.

Even those who have worked with Pence, including Omarosa Manigault and Donald Trump himself, have questioned his sanity, stating that Mike Pence “thinks that Jesus tells [him] to say things.” And on the subject of the gay rights, Pence “wants to hang [the members of the LGBTQ+ community].”

I wish I could say that was it, but this is merely the tip of the iceberg that is Mike Pence. If he became the president of the United States, America would go from slightly salvageable to beyond doomed. Pence understands the rules, after all, since he has played the game of politics. However, he has a blatant disregard for them.

The Democrats may have been chomping at the bit for Trump to be impeached, but, after all of this, they may want to hold off and focus on one thing: getting him out through election to avoid the absolute worst-case scenario. Only then would America be safe.