In short
Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to face impeachment twice when the Senate held trial on charges of inciting insurrection following the January 6 Capitol riot. The trial lasted four days in February 2021 and ended in acquittal, as Trump secured enough votes from Republican senators to prevent conviction.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, began on February 9, 2021, and concluded with his acquittal on February 13. Trump had been impeached for the second time by the House of Representatives on January 13, 2021. The House adopted one article of impeachment against Trump: incitement of insurrection. He is the only U.S. president and only federal official to be impeached twice. He was impeached by the House seven days prior to the expiration of his term and the inauguration of Joe Biden. Because he left office before the trial, this was the first impeachment trial of a former president. The article of impeachment addressed Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and stated that Trump incited the attack on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., while Congress was convened to count the electoral votes and certify the victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
As it was happening
16 voices, 40 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Capitol riot
Supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol during the electoral vote certification, resulting in deaths and forcing lawmakers to evacuate.
Voices from this moment (1)
Capitol riot
Jan 6
“Supporters of Trump stormed the U.”
As it was happening
16 voices, 40 days.
Day 0 · January 6, 2021
Capitol riot
Supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol during the electoral vote certification, resulting in deaths and forcing lawmakers to evacuate.
“Supporters of Trump stormed the U.”
- Capitol riot, Jan 6
Day 7 · January 13, 2021
House impeachment vote
The House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump on one article: incitement of insurrection. Ten Republicans voted with all Democrats.
“The House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump on one article:…”
- House impeachment vote, Jan 13
Day 19 · January 25, 2021
Senate receives impeachment article
The House formally transmitted the impeachment article to the Senate, triggering the trial process.
“The House formally transmitted the impeachment article to…”
- Senate receives impeachment article, Jan 25
Day 34 · February 9, 2021
Trial begins
The Senate trial opened with arguments over whether the trial was constitutional, as Trump was no longer in office.
“The Senate trial opened with arguments over whether the…”
- Trial begins, Feb 9
Day 35 · February 10, 2021
House managers present case
House impeachment managers presented evidence and arguments linking Trump's rhetoric to the Capitol violence.
“House impeachment managers presented evidence and arguments…”
- House managers present case, Feb 10
Day 36 · February 11, 2021
Defense arguments
Trump's legal team argued the trial was unconstitutional and that Trump's speech was protected under the First Amendment.
“You cannot impeach a president who is no longer in office.”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Senate floor remarks, February 9-13, 2021, Feb 12
“President Trump incited the insurrection against us.”
- House floor closing arguments, February 12, 2021, Feb 12
“Trump's legal team argued the trial was unconstitutional…”
- Defense arguments, Feb 11
Day 38 · February 13, 2021
Acquittal vote
The Senate voted 57-43 to convict, falling 10 votes short of the 67 needed. Seven Republicans joined all Democrats in voting guilty.
“There is no question that the president of the United…”
- Official Senate statement, February 15, 2021, Feb 15
“The President of the United States summoned this mob,…”
- Official House floor statement and press release, February 13, 2021, Feb 13
“Trump Acquitted of Incitement in Second Impeachment Trial”
- The New York Times, Feb 13
“Trump Cleared in Second Impeachment Trial as Senate Falls…”
- BBC News, Feb 13
“How 7 Republicans Voted to Convict Trump - and Why It Still…”
- CNN, Feb 13
“Trump Acquitted as Senate Rejects Incitement Charge in…”
- The Guardian, Feb 13
“Trump bleibt ungestraft - Senat spricht ihn frei”
- Der Spiegel, Feb 14
“The Senate voted 57-43 to convict, falling 10 votes short…”
- Acquittal vote, Feb 13
Afterward
What followed
- 2021 - Criminal prosecutions of Capitol rioters accelerated. The Justice Department intensified prosecutions of January 6 participants throughout 2021-2022, with more than 1,000 individuals charged by 2024, partly motivated by the impeachment trial's focus on the riot
- 2021 - House Select Committee investigation launched. In June 2021, the House established the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, directly examining events that led to the second impeachment
- 2021 - Permanent ban from social media platforms. Facebook and Twitter permanently suspended Trump's accounts following the January 6 Capitol riot and during the impeachment trial, with Facebook's Oversight Board upholding the indefinite suspension in May 2021
- 2021 - Second acquittal sets precedent. Trump's acquittal on February 13, 2021, established that removal from office required 67 Senate votes; the trial's outcome affected subsequent legal and political discourse around presidential accountability
The numbers.
6 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Impeachment vote
0-197 in the House on January 13, 2021
Trial duration
0 days, February 9-13, 2021
Conviction votes needed
0 of 100 senators (two-thirds majority)
Conviction votes received
0 senators (7 Republicans, 50 Democrats)
Republican senators voting guilty
0, including Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, and Mitt Romney
Trump's impeachments
0 (first in December 2019 on abuse of power and obstruction)
The visual record.
Front pages.
3 outlets carried the story: The New York Times, BBC News, CNN.
Media coverage
What the world was reading.
5 pieces, ranked by how much they shaped the discourse.
The New York Times
Newspaper · United States · Feb 13, 2021
"Trump Acquitted of Incitement in Second Impeachment Trial"
The Senate voted 57-43 to convict Trump on the charge of inciting the January 6 Capitol riot, falling short of the 67 votes needed for conviction. Seven Republicans voted to convict, marking a significant but ultimately insufficient rebuke.
- Feb 13, 2021
CNN
TV · United States
"How 7 Republicans Voted to Convict Trump - and Why It Still Wasn't Enough"
Synthesized from period reporting - Despite securing the most bipartisan impeachment conviction votes in history, the Senate fell 10 votes short of removing Trump, with the trial highlighting deep fractures within the Republican Party.
- Feb 13, 2021
The Guardian
Newspaper · United Kingdom
"Trump Acquitted as Senate Rejects Incitement Charge in Second Impeachment"
Synthesized from period reporting - The verdict exposed the political constraints facing Republicans who voted to convict, even as they acknowledged Trump's role in inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6.
- Feb 13, 2021
BBC News
TV · United Kingdom
"Trump Cleared in Second Impeachment Trial as Senate Falls Short of Conviction"
Synthesized from period reporting - The former US president was acquitted after the Senate vote failed to reach the required two-thirds majority, despite bipartisan recognition of the gravity of the January 6 Capitol breach.
- Feb 14, 2021
Der Spiegel
Magazine · Germany
"Trump bleibt ungestraft - Senat spricht ihn frei"
DE: 'Trump bleibt ungestraft - Senat spricht ihn frei' / EN: 'Trump Remains Unpunished - Senate Acquits Him'. Synthesized from period reporting - The German newsmagazine analyzed how Trump escaped conviction despite evidence linking him to the Capitol insurrection, marking a turning point in American political accountability.
At the cinema, on the charts.
While the world watched Minari, drivers license topped the charts.
The world it landed in
What was on the radio, the screen, and everyone's mind.
drivers license - Olivia Rodrigo
Dominated charts during February 2021
Blinding Lights - The Weeknd
Remained culturally dominant throughout early 2021
Good 4 U - Olivia Rodrigo
Released in April 2021, became major hit later that year
Minari (2020)
Major awards contender during early 2021 awards season
Nomadland (2020)
Released late 2020, dominated 2021 awards season
The Courier (2020)
Released early 2021
WandaVision
Marvel series aired January-March 2021, major cultural moment during impeachment trial
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Marvel series premiered March 2021
Cheer
Netflix series continued cultural relevance into 2021
Same week, elsewhere
Early 2021 was dominated by COVID-19 pandemic fatigue, vaccine rollout coverage, and the immediate aftermath of January 6. The impeachment trial competed for attention with the growing popularity of streaming content and social media discourse around democracy and political accountability. WandaVision's airing provided significant escapist cultural commentary during the trial period.
Then and now.
Then & now
The world the event landed in vs. the one it left behind.
Senate Republicans voting to convict
7 out of 50
2021
Baseline for future impeachment trials
2024
Set the threshold for conviction in Trump's trial; 67 votes needed, only 57 voted guilty
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Trump's second impeachment trial
en.wikipedia.org