US President Donald Trump has been impeached over abuse of power after a vote by the US House of Representatives.

In a historic vote on Wednesday, the lower chamber of US Congress voted to impeach the president over pressuring Ukraine for personal political gain.

The majority of the lawmakers supported both articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The abuse of power article was passed on a 230-197 vote and the obstruction article was passed by 229-198.

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi presides over Resolution 755, Articles of Impeachment Against President Donald J. Trump as the House votes at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2019.

Trump is the third president in US history to be impeached but the effort is expected to come to a halt in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The decision to impeach Trump was made amid partisan tensions across a deeply divided country.

The GOP leaders have clearly stated that they would not support impeaching a president they got elected in 2016.

The US president, whose impeachment trial in the Senate in expected next month, was addressing a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, amid the House debate.

No president in the history of the United States has been removed from office by impeachment and Trump appears to be no exception.

Trump reportedly tried to find dirt on Joe Biden, a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, by pressuring Ukraine and later tried to obstruct Congress from investigating the matter.