You’ve probably seen the headlines flash across your screen every few years: "Articles of Impeachment Filed." It sounds final. It sounds like the end of the road. But honestly, most people get the basic definition totally twisted. They hear the word "impeached" and think the moving vans are already pulling up to the White House.
That’s not how it works. Not even close.
Basically, being impeached is like being indicted in a regular court. It’s a formal charge. It’s the "hey, we think you did something wrong" stage, not the "pack your bags" stage. To understand what happens if president is impeached, you have to look at the U.S. Constitution as a two-part drama where the House of Representatives acts as the grand jury and the Senate acts as the judge and jury.
The House Vote: The Moment a President Is "Impeached"
So, here is the deal. The process usually starts in the House Judiciary Committee. They look at evidence, argue a lot, and eventually draft what they call "Articles of Impeachment." Think of these as specific counts of a crime, though "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" is a famously blurry phrase that can mean whatever a majority of the House says it means.
Once the full House of Representatives votes on these articles, things get real. If a simple majority (that’s 50% plus one) votes "yes" on even one article, the president is officially impeached.
That’s it.
They are still the president. They still have the nuclear codes. They still live in the White House and sign bills into law. In the history of the United States, three presidents—Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump—have reached this stage. (Trump, of course, did it twice). But if you’re asking what happens if president is impeached in terms of their daily job, the answer is usually "a lot of stressful meetings and legal prep," but not much else changes immediately.
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The Senate Trial: Where the Real Stakes Are
This is where the drama shifts across the Capitol building. Once the House impeaches, the "Articles" are sent to the Senate. This is the actual trial.
- The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (currently John Roberts) comes over to preside.
- A group of House members, known as "House Managers," act as the prosecutors.
- The President brings in their own high-powered legal team.
- The 100 Senators sit there as the jury.
It’s a weird hybrid of a courtroom and a political rally. Unlike a normal trial where you need a unanimous jury, the Senate needs a two-thirds supermajority to convict. That is 67 votes if everyone is present.
What if they are convicted?
If 67 Senators vote "guilty," the President is removed from office instantly. There is no appeal. You can’t go to the Supreme Court and ask them to overrule it. The Constitution is pretty clear that the Senate has the "sole power" to try these cases.
The Vice President is sworn in immediately. It’s a clean break.
The "Double Whammy" of Disqualification
There is a second, often overlooked part of what happens if president is impeached and convicted. The Senate can hold a separate vote to bar that person from ever holding federal office again. Interestingly, while the conviction requires 67 votes, this "disqualification" vote only requires a simple majority.
This means a president could be removed by a 2/3 vote, and then banned from running in the next election by just 51 votes.
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Why No President Has Ever Been Removed
You might be wondering: if four impeachments have happened, why hasn't anyone been kicked out?
Politics.
It is incredibly hard to get 67 Senators to agree on anything, let alone removing the leader of a political party. Andrew Johnson escaped removal by exactly one vote in 1868. Bill Clinton and Donald Trump weren't even close to the 67-vote threshold because their parties stayed loyal.
Richard Nixon is the outlier. He wasn't actually impeached. He resigned in 1974 because his own party leaders told him the House would impeach him and the Senate would convict him. He saw the writing on the wall and quit before the formal vote could happen.
The Lingering Legal Questions
Can an impeached and convicted president be prosecuted in regular court?
Yes.
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The Constitution says that a person convicted in an impeachment trial is still "liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law." Basically, impeachment handles the job, and the Department of Justice handles the jail time (if applicable).
Another big "sorta" question: Can a president pardon themselves to stop an impeachment?
No. Article II, Section 2 specifically says the President has the power to grant pardons "except in cases of impeachment." They can't wiggle out of it with a pen stroke.
Practical Realities: The Aftermath
If you're watching this play out in real-time, the most immediate impact isn't usually legal—it's the total paralysis of the government. When a president is facing a Senate trial, almost nothing else gets done. No big infrastructure bills. No major foreign policy shifts. The entire apparatus of the executive branch focuses on the defense.
Actionable Insights for the Informed Citizen:
- Track the House Managers: If an impeachment moves to trial, watch who the House picks to prosecute. These are usually the rising stars of the party and their performance often dictates the public's perception of the case.
- Watch the "Swing" Senators: Don't bother counting the votes of the president's staunchest allies or enemies. Look at the 5-10 moderate Senators from the opposite party or those in "purple" states. They are the ones who actually decide if the 67-vote threshold is possible.
- Read the Articles: Don't rely on cable news summaries. The Articles of Impeachment are usually only a few pages long. Reading the actual text helps you see if the charges are for specific crimes (like bribery) or broader "abuse of power" claims.
- Check the Calendar: Impeachment is a slow burn. From the first inquiry to a final Senate vote, the process usually takes months. If you see a headline about "impeachment starting," don't expect a result by next Tuesday.
Ultimately, the process is designed to be difficult. The Founders wanted a way to get rid of a "tyrant," but they didn't want the presidency to become a "yo-yo" that changed every time a different party took control of Congress. It's a "break glass in case of emergency" tool that, so far, has never been fully utilized to remove a sitting president.