DONALD Trump was charged by the House of Representatives with two articles of impeachment related to abusing his power and obstructing Congress.

Let's take a look at how likely it is that the US President will be removed from office anytime soon...

3 Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Michigan Credit: Reuters

Has Donald Trump been impeached?

On December 18, the US House of Representatives passed two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump.

The Democrat-controlled House voted to approve charges of abuse and power and obstruction of Congress.

Trump became the third president in US history to be impeached by the House.

He will now face a Senate trial in January.

According to US Odds Tracker Sports Betting Dime on December 17: "With the vote impending in the House, the chances of impeachment remain well above 90% according to sportsbooks (-1100 odds)."

In US poll conducted by SSRS for CNN, 45 per cent of the 1,005 asked said they think Trump should be impeached and removed from office.

The poll was conducted between December 12 to 15.

In survey conducted between December 10 to 15 by ABC/Washington Post, 49 per cent of the 1,003 asked said they think Trump should be impeached and removed from office.

3 Donald Trump was charged with two articles of impeachment by the House of Representatives Credit: Reuters

What is Donald Trump accused of?

Trump is accused of pressuring Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Hunter worked for a Ukrainian company when his dad was VP to Barack Obama.

The Donald is accused of playing two bargaining chips with Ukraine - holding back $400m of military aid to the country that had already been allocated by Congress, and a White House meeting with Zelensky.

Democrats argue would all amount to an abuse of presidential power, using the office for personal political gain and to the detriment of national security.

Ukraine is using that money in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

3 Donald Trump was charged with two articles of impeachment by the House of Representatives Credit: Reuters

How has the impeachment trial unfolded?

The drama surrounding the impeachment inquiry goes back to September 2019 when a whistle blower came forward with information about the US president.

Since then the inquiry has snowballed into the House of Representatives formally charging Trump under two articles of impeachment.

Here are the key dates so far:

How does the impeachment process work?

Impeachment is where a formal accusation of serious wrongdoing is lobbied against a sitting president or any other senior US official.

According to the United States Constitution, the House of Representatives can vote to impeach but it’s the Senate which actually tries the case.

The US constitution states a president “shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours”.

The process has to be started by the House of Representatives – currently controlled by Trump’s own party – and needs a simple majority to pass.

However impeachment does not necessarily result in removal from office – it is only a legal statement of charges.

A trial is set in the Senate and a two-thirds vote is necessary for removal – but in America’s history this milestone has never been reached.

Both houses of Congress were controlled by Mr Trump's Republican party, until the results of the midterm elections on November 6, 2018.

While the Senate is still controlled by the Republicans, with 51 one seats, the Democrats took control of the House of Representatives, with 219 seats.

This means that it's possible for the House of Representatives to pass a vote to impeach the president.

However, a two-thirds majority of 67 Senators voting to impeach Trump would still be needed in the Senate when it is tried - and this is unlikely.

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Who could replace Donald Trump?

The line of succession for the US government was established by the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.

This would mean Vice-President Mike Pence moving into the Oval Office.

If for any reason Pence did not take office it would fall to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.