Donald Trump's Impeachment Gets Its Go Signal—His Trial Is Up Next

One week before Christmas Day, President Donald Trump got an extra special gift from House Of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other US politicians that share her sentiments. It came with a greeting card, but it didn't say "Merry Christmas," "Happy Holidays," or worse, "Glad Tidings." 

Instead, Nancy delivered a searing message. "No one is above the law," she declared.

Needing no space between her opening statement and the news that was to follow, the Democrat made an announcement that marked a historic moment in US history: the House majority had voted on President Trump's impeachment. This means that investigations, and ultimately trials, on the crimes he is convicted of can now legally proceed. If found guilty, President Trump may be expelled from the White House, an event that will have massive consequences on the 2020 US presidential elections.

Specific details of the impeachment process have yet to be shared with the public. As of this writing, the most important detail to know is that the President will be tried for two crimes: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. 

However, those outside of the United States should be informed of how an impeachment works; an impeached President in America—unlike how it works in the Philippines—must first undergo a trial conducted by the Senate. There, another vote will take place, and a majority vote must yet again be reached in order for the accused to be removed from office. 

If the Senate majority vote is not reached, President trump will remain in power. 

The challenge in the final step is what constitutes a majority Senate vote. 67 percent of senators must vote for the removal of Trump. Ultimately, what that implies is that Republicans must join forces with Democrats in removing their party leader from office, and to translate that into numbers, at least 20 Republican senators have to vote guilty—a difficult quota to reach. 

As the House reached concluded the convening with a landmark decision on President Trump's future, the president was at a rally in Michigan. The White House yet to release a statement addressing this development.

President Trump is the third US president to be impeached. Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were previously impeached, but remained in office as the Senate failed to reach a majority vote.

To see the exact moment that President Trump's impeachment got its go signal, watch the video below that shows Nancy Pelosi's announcement.

Photos from @whitehouse