WASHINGTON: The Republican Party suffered a heavy setback in the U.S. midterm elections. With the rival Democratic Party winning a clear majority in both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, a debate has begun over whether President Donald Trump can be removed from office.
Under the U.S. Constitution, removing a President is a two-stage process. In the House of Representatives, a simple majority of 218 votes is enough to bring and approve articles of impeachment. With Democrats now holding the numbers, passing an impeachment against Trump would be very easy.
The process then moves to the Senate, where an impeached President faces a trial conducted along the lines of a court proceeding. Removal from office, however, requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate, or at least 67 votes.
Three U.S. Presidents have been impeached by the House so far: Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998, and Trump, who was impeached twice, in 2019 and 2021. None of them lost office, as the Senate never reached the required 67 votes. Richard Nixon resigned in 1974, before a full vote could take place.
Democrats currently hold only 54 seats in the Senate. To remove Trump, another 13 to 14 Republican senators would have to vote against him.
Unlike in India, the United States has no strict anti-defection laws under which members lose their membership, nor party whip rules of that kind. Some Republicans have voted against Trump in the past. Moreover, as this is Trump’s second term, he cannot contest future elections. Republican senators who believe that backing him could cost them politically in their own constituencies are free to cross-vote.
Even so, it would be almost impossible for more than 13 Republicans to rebel against a President of their own party. While Trump could well be impeached in the House, losing office would not be easy.