The US House of Representatives on Wednesday impeached Donald Trump , making him the third US president in history to be impeached by the House.
This has set up a trial in the Senate that will decide whether he remains in office.
The House voted that the president abused his power – the first of two impeachment charges against him.
The 230-197 vote fell along party lines with most Democrats voting for the charge and all Republicans against.
Trump now faces a vote on a second charge – obstruction of Congress.
President Trump was addressing a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, along with Vice-President Mike Pence as the voting was going on.
The proceedings on Wednesday began with members of Trump’s Republican Party calling for votes on procedural issues in an effort to frustrate the process.
A vote on the rules to be set out for the impeachment, which kicked off six hours of partisan debate on the merits of the two impeachment charges against President Trump followed.
The House later called for votes on the two charges: first, abuse of power, stemming from Trump’s alleged attempt to pressure Ukraine to announce investigations into his Democratic political rival, Joe Biden; and second, obstruction of Congress, because the president allegedly refused to co-operate with the impeachment inquiry, withholding documentary evidence and barring his key aides from giving evidence.
The vote on the first article got Trump impeached, placing him alongside only two other presidents in the nation’s history – Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton – and setting up a trial in the Senate for his presidency.