Trump impeachment trial: Donald Trump found not guilty by Senate

Former president Donald Trump has been found not guilty at his second impeachment trial.

Impeachment is a process that allows senior political figures to be challenged if they are suspected of committing an offence whilst in charge.

Trump was accused by Congress of "incitement of insurrection" - this means encouraging a revolt against authority or an established government - and claimed that Trump actively encouraged violence by protesters at the recent riots at the Capitol building in January.

A vote by the Senate, who are some of the people in the US government who pass the laws, found Trump to be not guilty, and cleared him of the charges.

What happened?

Protestors gather outside the Capitol building in Washington DC

Back in January, the US House of Representatives - one half of the US Congress that creates and passes laws - voted to impeach Mr Trump, a Republican, for "incitement of insurrection".

During the debate, the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the most senior people in the Democrat party, said: "The president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion against our common country. He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love."

"Impeaching the president in such a short time frame would be a mistake," said Kevin McCarthy, the House's top Republican. "That doesn't mean the president's free from fault. The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters."

Trump's impeachment trial began on 9 February 2021, and was held in the Senate - the second half of Congress.

This is a bit like a courtroom, where other senior politicians called senators act like a jury to decide whether or not a president is guilty.

For a person to be found guilty of impeachment, two-thirds of the senators must vote in favour of removing them from the job.

Mr Trump's lawyer called the proceedings a "show trial"

In Trump's trial, 57 senators voted to impeach Trump, and 43 voted against it.

Although more people voted for the impeachment, it was 10 votes short of the 67 needed for the impeachment.

After he was cleared, Mr Trump released a statement saying the trial was "the greatest witch hunt in history".

Trump and impeachment

Impeachment charges are political, not criminal.

Impeachment is a pretty rare occurrence, and so far only three US presidents have ever been impeached.

Trump's trial is one of the shortest to ever take place, lasting only 5 days.

This is also Trump's second impeachment trial, making him the only president in history to be impeached twice.

If he had been found guilty at the trials he would have been unable to run to be president again in 2024.