Donald Trump Has Been Impeached

At 8:24 p.m. on Wednesday, after hours of seemingly interminable debate, the 216th vote in the House of Representatives was cast for the first article of impeachment, accusing Donald J. Trump of abuse of power. For only the third time in history, the president of the United States was impeached. Twenty minutes later, the president was impeached on the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress. For a man who has put his name on everything from steaks to skating rinks, a man whose narcissism and ego, whose conceit, bizarre preening, and demands for fealty seem to know no bounds, this was the kind of recognition he never wanted.

The Republicans had twisted themselves into pretzel knots all day, trying to make excuses for Trump’s behavior—that the whole thing was a hoax, that the Ukrainian president never felt any pressure, that the Democrats were hell-bent on impeaching the president from day one, that Ukraine and the Bidens were corrupt anyway. The Democrats, meanwhile, held fast to their conviction that the president had in fact informed the Ukrainian president that he would not receive military aid unless he agreed to investigate the Bidens.

Now comes the Senate trial, where, at this point, there is virtually no path to victory for the Democrats. Twenty Republican votes will be needed to remove the president from office—and right now there are none. If their cohorts in the Senate are anything like the members of the House, they will remain completely in the thrall of this president, who has transformed the Republican Party, turning into a strange cult where devotion to the dear leader trumps—pun intended—every rational argument, every overwhelming fact, every bald-faced truth.

Still, trials can be odd things, and surprising testimony and damning documents may yet emerge. The vast majority of Americans could wake up and poll numbers can shift, and maybe even some Republicans—especially those in swing districts—could have a change of heart. But whatever happens in the Senate next month, whatever happens between now and November 2020, this is a proud day for the country—a nation that insisted tonight that no one, not even the commander in chief, is above the law.

Originally Appeared on Vogue