President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Pelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act MORE on Thursday indicated White House counsel Pat Cipollone would serve as his lead defense attorney in an upcoming Senate impeachment trial.

"It looks like that, yeah," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We have a couple of others that we're going to put in, but Pat's been fantastic as White House counsel."

The president's comments confirmed that his defense strategy was falling into place as the White House gears up for a likely Senate trial after the House voted to impeach him on Wednesday night.

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The White House has discussed bringing Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz Alan Morton DershowitzThe Hill's 12:30 Report: War over the Supreme Court Dershowitz suing CNN for 0 million in defamation suit Bannon and Maxwell cases display DOJ press strategy chutzpah MORE on to serve some role on the defense team, and the president's personal attorney, Jay Sekulow Jay Alan SekulowNow, we need the election monitors Judge denies Trump's request for a stay on subpoena for tax records Judge throws out Trump effort to block subpoena for tax returns MORE, may also work in some capacity.

A few of Trump's fiercest defenders in the House are also under consideration to play a role in the Senate trial.

The House on Wednesday night voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Two Democrats voted against the abuse of power article and three voted against the obstruction article. No Republicans voted for either article.

"It doesn’t feel like impeachment," Trump said Thursday. "And you know what? It’s a phony deal, and they cheapen the word. It’s an ugly word, but they cheapen the word impeachment."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act Sunday shows preview: Lawmakers prepare for SCOTUS confirmation hearings before election Will Democrats attempt to pack the Supreme Court again? MORE (D-Calif.) has indicated she may wait to submit the articles of impeachment to the Senate in an effort to secure more favorable terms for a trial. House Democrats rallied behind the Speaker on Thursday over the idea, even as Republicans scoffed at it as a political tactic.

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The president claimed that Democrats were "playing games" and suggested what they were doing was "unconstitutional," though there is no indication that is the case.

The White House is seeking a relatively brief trial that concludes with Trump's exoneration, and several Republican senators have indicated they'd prefer a quick process to acquit the president.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellHawley warns Schumer to steer clear of Catholic-based criticisms of Barrett Senate GOP set to vote on Trump's Supreme Court pick before election Harris slams Trump's Supreme Court pick as an attempt to 'destroy the Affordable Care Act' MORE (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerPelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act Will Democrats attempt to pack the Supreme Court again? Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' MORE (D-N.Y.) were scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss parameters for a trial.