January 6, the day of the riots at the capitol building, was a big day for America, the impeachment process, and especially Donald Trump. What the Trump supporters and rioters did was an act of insurrection which means they revolted against civil authority. 

Shortly after the riot there were calls for the impeachment of Donald Trump with claims that he incited the riot by giving misinformation about the results of the election. 

This was not the first time Trump has been called to be impeached; last October Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives however he was acquitted by the Republican run Senate. 

 In order to impeach the president, the House needs to vote on the articles of impeachment and if there is a majority of votes for continuing then the president is impeached. After the House impeaches the president they deliver an impeachment charge against the president to the Senate and they have a trial; if more than two thirds of the Senate vote to convict, then the president will be removed from office

 The 25th Amendment has four sections that can be used for impeachment although after the riots Democrats called on Mike Pence to invoke the first article of the 25th Amendment. This article allows the Vice President to remove President Donald Trump from office however Vice President Pence denied to invoke the article.

On January 25 the House informed the Senate of their plans to prosecute the former president for “incitement of insurrection.”

The trial will go ahead but the Senate signaled they will vote to acquit him. Donald Trump is now out of office and a private citizen and the Senate believes that it is unconstitutional to go through with the trial. 

The Senate acquitted Trump. The Senate voted 57 guilty, 43 not guilty. It takes two thirds vote to declare a guilty verdict.