On Wednesday, December 18th, 2019, Donald Trump has become the third-ever United States president to be impeached. Have any questions about what happens now? Read on to clear things up. 

Has President Trump been removed from the office? 

No. For Donald Trump to be removed completely from office, a House of Representatives vote is just a small step, but still a crucial one. The Senate has the final say on whether Trump will be removed or not. The Senate clearly stated that any time the House tries an impeachment, a trial must be held. Mitch McConnel said the Senate would hold a trial if the House impeaches Trump. 

When will the trial happen? 

No exact date yet, but the expected time is sometime during 2020, and could last several weeks. The length of the trial is a question that is up to Mitch McConnel and Senator Charles Schumer of New York. McConnel has stated that he’s in favor of a trial as short as possible, as he sees that there’s no way Trump could be convicted. Schumer proposed that the trial be on the week of January 6, and have key witnesses; White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security advisor John Bolton. Unfortunately, McConnel denied the request. 

For conviction, how many votes are needed? 

The bar for the Senate vote is higher than the House of Representatives. For the House, only the majority must win. But, in the Senate, a two-thirds vote(67 out of 100) is required for the conviction to pass, and eventually get Trump out of office. 

Has any other president gone through impeachment like Trump has? 

Not exactly. The only other president that’s gotten close would be Andrew Johnson. During his trial, he was one vote off from being given the boot out of office. In comparison, Clinton remains the least dramatic impeachment so far, as he was acquitted on both articles he faced. 

What exactly happens if Trump is convicted? 

If Trump is convicted, he would be immediately removed from office, and the person to step up to the plate would be Vice President Mike Pence.