On Wednesday, December 18, after less than three months since the idea was initially floated, history was made: Donald J. Trump became the third president in American history to be impeached. In the 8 o’clock hour, the House of Representatives voted on the two articles of impeachment issued against him: first, abuse of power, and second, obstruction of Congress. The House voted yes on both of them.
That means Trump will face a Senate trial, where it will be decided if they will take the next step and remove him from office. Unlike the House, which flipped to Democratic control just over a year ago, the Senate remains controlled by Republicans, who have largely been in lock-step with a president they once almost uniformly opposed before he received the party ticket in the summer of 2016.
Trump is now part of an elite group of U.S. presidents who have successfully been impeached by the House, following Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. It would be four, but Richard Nixon resigned after articles of impeachment had been filed but before they could go to a vote. Trump is currently at one of his rallies, and will no doubt have choice words for any supporters he has left.