2024 Presidential run: As things stand at the moment, the second impeachment of President Donald Trump is in a bit of a holding pattern. Impeachment has already passed the House; where it was pushed through by the Democrats, but the Senate trial will not take place until after Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
What that means is that there is no way in which the President will be removed from office. This became particularly clear when Vice President Mike Pence made political news by penning a letter saying that he would take no part in invoking the 25th amendment; which could have potentially seen Trump removed before his final day in office. The question now seems to be about what the Republicans will do once impeachments proceedings begin in the Senate.
The Republicans wanted no part in the last impeachment trial
Which was doomed to fail before it began. This time around, though, there are some Senators who might be ready to pull the trigger and turn on Trump. Still, 67 votes would be required to seal the deal; which would mean that 17 Republicans would need to vote to convict Trump. The numbers there are straightforward enough; but where things get a little sticky is when it comes to barring Trump from holding office again.
2024 Presidential Run: What Would it Take to Have Trump Barred?
If the Senate does not come up with the two-thirds majority required to convict the President on impeachment charges; they could still make political news by voting to bar him from running for office in the future. The Constitution makes no mention of a two-thirds majority in a barring vote. In the past a trio of federal judges have been barred via a simple majority vote in the Senate; but it is not something that has ever been done to a former President.
There certainly is the possibility that some Republicans might steer clear of conviction in the impeachment trial; but still vote to make sure that he does not have the opportunity to run again. Even if that vote does come around; it would still likely end up in a battle that ends up in the Supreme Court of the United States. They might then need to decide if a two-thirds majority would be required.
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