President Trump was 'acquitted' after more than 135 days of impeachment

On the afternoon of February 5 (early morning of February 6, Hanoi time), the Senate voted 52 votes in favor and 48 votes against to acquit Trump on charges of abuse of power, stemming from his request for Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, his formidable opponent in the 2020 White House race. Mitt Romney was the only Republican senator to side with the Democrats and vote against Trump.

The Senate then voted 53-47 to convict Trump of obstruction of Congress. No Republican senators sided with Democrats on the vote.

"President Trump has been completely vindicated, it's time to get back to the business of the American people," Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. Trump announced on Twitter that he would speak at the White House at 12:00 on February 6 (0:00 on February 7, Hanoi time) "to discuss the country's victory and the impeachment scam!"

The US House of RepresentativesDemocrats led the impeachment inquiry into Trump in September 2019.and sent two articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate in January.

The outcome of the Senate acquitting Trump is predictable because 53 out of 100 senators are Republicans and Trump will only be removed from office if two-thirds of senators vote against him.

Two US presidents have been impeached before Trump. President Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 over his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky but was acquitted in the Senate. President Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 but was not convicted in the Senate.