Trump Is Now the Most Impeached President in American History

An unprecedented attack on the Capitol led to a precedent-shattering bipartisan second impeachment

Ben Jacobs
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Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

On Wednesday afternoon, Donald Trump became the first person in American history to be impeached twice. By a vote of 232 to 197, Trump was once again branded with the political mark of Cain by the House of Representatives. Unlike the 2020 impeachment, the 2021 vote did not divide neatly along party lines. In the end, 10 Republicans broke ranks to support removing Trump from office, and another four failed to vote, even by proxy. Trump now faces the prospect of a Senate trial, which will take place after he leaves office on January 20.

The damage Trump has done to his legacy over the past two months was clear in how Republicans chose to defend him — or rather, not defend him. While Trump was depicted as a victim of a witch hunt, and even compared to Jesus Christ during the first impeachment, his defenders were far less zealous on Wednesday.

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Ben Jacobs
GEN
Writer for

Ben Jacobs is a politics reporter based in Washington. Follow him on Twitter at @bencjacobs.