What were the articles of impeachment against Trump in his first and second impeachments?
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
The House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump in December 2019—abuse of power and obstruction of Congress—centered on his dealings with Ukraine and the withholding of military aid; the Senate acquitted him in February 2020 [1] [2] [3]. In January 2021 the House approved a single article—incitement of insurrection—over Trump’s conduct surrounding the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol; the Senate again acquitted him in February 2021 [4] [5] [6].
1. First impeachment: “Abuse of power” — soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election
The first article of impeachment charged President Trump with abuse of power for allegedly soliciting the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, to benefit his 2020 reelection campaign—most prominently through a July 25, 2019 phone call in which he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “a favor” to investigate Joe Biden and other matters—an action coupled with an unprecedented delay of nearly $400 million in congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine that Democrats said was intended to pressure Kyiv to comply [7] [1] [2]. House investigators and committee reports framed this theory as an effort to leverage official U.S. power for personal political benefit, and the Judiciary Committee’s draft article codified those allegations as an impeachable abuse of the presidency [8] [2].
2. First impeachment: “Obstruction of Congress” — defying subpoenas and impeding the inquiry
The second article accused Trump of obstruction of Congress for directing administration officials and agencies to ignore subpoenas issued by House committees and for otherwise refusing to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry—conduct the House said was an effort to prevent fact-finding and to frustrate the constitutional impeachment process [2] [7]. That article did not rest on criminal statutes but on the argument that the President’s categorical defiance of congressional oversight and noncompliance with subpoenas constituted high crimes and misdemeanors under the Constitution, a constitutional judgment the House majority embraced [2] [8].
3. Outcome of the first impeachment: House passage and Senate acquittal
The House voted to impeach Trump on December 18, 2019, approving the two articles—abuse of power and obstruction of Congress—after committee investigations and public hearings [1] [2]. The Senate trial began in January 2020 and on February 5, 2020 the Senate acquitted Trump, with votes falling short of the two‑thirds threshold required for removal; procedural and partisan divisions shaped both the trial and its outcome [3] [6].
4. Second impeachment: “Incitement of insurrection” — the January 6 trigger
The House’s second article of impeachment, adopted on January 13, 2021, charged Trump with incitement of insurrection for statements and conduct that the resolution said encouraged and foreseeably resulted in lawless action at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 while Congress met to certify the Electoral College results [4] [5]. The article asserted that Trump “made statements that encouraged—and foreseeably resulted in—lawless action” that obstructed the constitutional duty of Congress, and it was introduced and advanced within days of the attack [4] [9].
5. Outcome of the second impeachment and debates over timing and precedent
The House impeached Trump one week before his term expired, marking the first time a president was impeached twice; the Senate trial occurred after he left office and ended with an acquittal on February 13, 2021—the vote fell short of the necessary two‑thirds, though a majority voted to convict (57–43) [4] [6] [9]. Legal and political debates followed about whether a former president is constitutionally subject to impeachment and trial, the evidentiary standards for “incitement,” and whether the swift timetable served accountability or bypassed fuller fact‑gathering; these debates were reflected in committee reports, constitutional commentaries, and the split votes in the House and Senate [9] [8].
6. Final posture: two impeachments, no removal—what the articles were and why they mattered
In sum, the House adopted two articles in the first impeachment—abuse of power and obstruction of Congress—focused on Ukraine and refusal to comply with subpoenas, and one article in the second—incitement of insurrection—focused on the January 6 Capitol attack; both trials ended in Senate acquittals, leaving unresolved constitutional and political questions about presidential misconduct, accountability, and the limits of impeachment as a remedy [2] [7] [4] [6].