President Trump has been impeached

By Fernando Alfonso III, Veronica Rocha, Mike Hayes and Amanda Wills, CNN

Updated 10:31 a.m. ET, December 19, 2019
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11:22 p.m. ET, December 18, 2019

The House impeached President Trump tonight. Here's what you need to know.

President Trump has become the third president in history to be impeached.

The House passed both articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Here's what you need to know about the vote:

  • The House voted almost entirely along party lines: The House voted 230-197 to charge Trump with abuse of power and 229-198 to charge him with obstruction of Congress. Just two Democrats voted against both articles, Reps. Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, who is expected to soon switch parties. A third, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted for one impeachment article. Republican-turned independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan voted to impeach Trump on both counts. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, voted present for both articles.
  • There was a six-hour debate: An intense partisan debate over impeachment played out for hours on the House floor on rapid-fire fashion ahead of the impeachment votes. In one-to-two minute speeches, Democrats and Republicans traded passionate arguments for why they were voting for or against impeachment. Back and forth they went: Democrats explaining the duty to impeach, followed by Republicans declaring that impeachment was a massive mistake.
  • Trump held the longest rally speech of his presidency: Trump acknowledged the vote to impeach him, which occurred as he was speaking on stage at his nearly two-hour campaign rally in Michigan tonight. The votes occurred in the middle of his speech. It appeared he learned of the vote tallies from an aide. Trump used the result to tout Republican unity.
  • What happens next: The vote shifts the impeachment proceedings to the Senate, where a trial is expected in January. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republican senators at a policy lunch Tuesday that he will announce by the end of the week the date for the start of the Senate trial, according to sources. The Senate will decide whether to convict Trump and remove him from office.

9:57 p.m. ET, December 18, 2019

McConnell will speak on the Senate floor tomorrow morning

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted moments ago that he would speak about President Trump's impeachment on the floor at 9:30 a.m. ET tomorrow. 

Read his tweet:

9:40 p.m. ET, December 18, 2019

What happens next in the Trump impeachment

From CNN's Haley Byrd 

Susan Walsh/AP
Susan Walsh/AP

The next steps in the impeachment saga all depends on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi would not commit tonight on sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate, which will hold a trial and decide whether to convict President Trump and remove him from office.

“That would have been our intention, but we’ll see what happens over there," Pelosi signaled at her news conference tonight.

Why this matters: Some progressives have urged Democratic leaders to withhold the articles until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agrees to procedures for the Senate trial that Democrats have called for, as well as agreeing to bring in firsthand witnesses like acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to testify.

Pelosi said Democrats will make the decision “as a group” on when to send the articles to the Senate.

CNN’s Phil Mattingly noted there are procedural concerns behind not sending the articles tonight — Democrats can’t send them over tonight because the Senate would have to take it up tomorrow, and it would shut down action in the Senate. That would mess with appropriations.

“We cannot name managers until we see what the process is on the Senate side, and we hope that will be soon,” Pelosi said of naming impeachment managers for the Senate trial. “So far we haven���t seen anything that looks fair to us, so hopefully it will be fair.”

9:30 p.m. ET, December 18, 2019

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: It's a "sad day for America" 

From CNN's Haley Byrd 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking right after the House impeached President Trump, said today is “a great day for the Constitution” but “a sad day for America.”

“I could not be prouder or more inspired by the moral courage of the House Democrats. We never asked one of them how they were going to vote. We never whipped this vote” she said.

Pelosi continued:

“I view this day, this vote, as something that we did to honor the vision of our founders to establish a republic, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform to defend our democracy and the republic, and the aspirations of our children that they will always live in a democracy, and we have tried to do everything we can to make sure that that is their reality."

10:39 p.m. ET, December 18, 2019

Trump supporter on President's impeachment: "It’s a bad mark on him. I feel bad for him"

From CNN's Michael Warren

In the hours before the votes to impeach President Trump tonight, the atmosphere at the Trump International Hotel in Washington was nearly, but not quite, joyous. Two of the four televisions hanging above the lobby lounge bar were tuned to ESPN, with another tuned to Fox News and the last to CNN.

Few of the guests, if any, were paying much attention to the ongoing debate on the floor of the House of Representatives.

One of those at the bar was Heather Zabel, a 35-year-old nursing student in Virginia who considers herself a big fan of Trump’s.

“Big deal,” Zabel said, gesturing at the TV showing lawmakers arguing about impeaching Trump. “This is only making Republicans angry. And we’re going to vote for him again.”

The general consensus around the bar from Trump supporters echoed the Republican talking-points: that Democrats were pushing impeachment because they couldn’t stand seeing him in the White House. The “Russia collusion” gambit failed, and Ukraine was just the next effort to undo the 2016 election.

After the House passed the second impeachment count, Zabel’s face had fallen. Everything had happened as predicted — Trump was impeached, but he was still more than likely to be acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.

“I’m sad!” she said, looking genuinely hurt. “It’s a bad mark on him. I feel bad for him.” 

As she spoke, the crowd around the bar began to thin out. Some shuffled across the lobby to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Others began to head for the doors. Those who stayed looked down from the TVs and to their phones, or back to their own conversations. At Trump’s hotel, just blocks from the Capitol and the White House after the impeachment of the President, life had moved on.

9:28 a.m. ET, December 19, 2019

President Trump calls on Americans to "vote Pelosi the hell out of office"

From CNN's Allie Malloy

President Trump called on his supporters to “vote Pelosi the hell out of office” while speaking at a Christmas MAGA rally in Michigan tonight.

"Americans will show up by the tens of millions next year to vote Pelosi the hell out of office," Trump said in Michigan.

Trump then criticized Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat representing Manhattan, and commented on donating to her over the years adding, “Give me back the damn money.” 

Trump also attacked Congressman Debbie Dingell, calling her a “real beauty.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Maloney is a Republican. She is a Democrat.

Watch Trump's 'disgraceful' reaction to impeachment:

10:19 p.m. ET, December 18, 2019

Meanwhile, President Trump is blasting Democrats at his rally tonight

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

Scott Olson/Getty Images
Scott Olson/Getty Images

As President Trump officially became the third US president to be impeached, he was on stage at a "Merry Christmas" rally in Michigan laying into Democrats and claiming they've "branded themselves with an eternal mark of shame."

"With today’s illegal unconstitutional and partisan impeachment, the do-nothing Democrats are declaring their deep hatred and disdain for the American voter," Trump said in Michigan after being on stage for about an hour.

Trump likened the impeachment proceedings to a "political suicide march" and said he would prevail in the end.

"Have you seen my polls?" an incredulous-sounding Trump said to roars.

Shortly after the impeachment vote closed, Trump decried the situation in which he finds himself.

"After three years of sinister witch hunts, hoaxes, scams, the House Democrats are trying to nullify the ballots of tens of millions of patriotic Americans," he said.

Watch President Trump take aim at Democrats:

9:45 p.m. ET, December 18, 2019

Schiff: "The President of the United States should be tried" by the Senate

Pool
Pool

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said President Trump "should be tried" by the Senate.

Schiff said the question is now whether "Senator McConnell will allow a fair trial in the Senate."

He said the American people want to hear the testimony of people like John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney — and "see what's in those documents that the President has been hiding."

Watch here:

10:46 p.m. ET, December 18, 2019

Trump just acknowledged vote to impeach him while on stage at his Michigan rally

From CNN's Kevin Liptak 

President Trump has acknowledged the vote to impeach him, which occurred as he was speaking on stage in Michigan.

"Every single Republican voted for us," Trump said. “We didn't lose one Republican vote.”

The votes occurred in the middle of his speech. It appeared he learned of the vote tallies from an aide.

Trump used the result to tout Republican unity.

"The Republican Party has never been so affronted but they have never been so united as they are right now,” he said.

He said it was “unheard of” that some Democrats would vote against the impeachment.

"The Democrats always stick together. Think of it: 3 Democrats went over to our side," he said.