Tears on the Senate floor and anger in Mar-a-Lago: how Trump's impeachment trial played out

Donald Trump has been found not guilty of inciting a mob to attack the US Capitol after the Democrats failed to gain enough Republican votes to impeach the former President following the shortest impeachment trial in American history.

TUESDAY

On Tuesday at just after midday on Capitol Hill - on the very floor where pro-Trump insurrectionists had ransacked the seat of democracy - the Democrat impeachment team opened their case.

In front of a silent room of Senators they declared the former president was America's Founding Fathers' "worst nightmare come to life".

It was the opening shot in a week of dramatic testimony, neer-seen-before video clips, tears of despair, and angry rebuttals.

But before that: a vote on whether the trial should go ahead.

Democrats said the trial was constitutional as the crime they were about to outline was committed by a president when he was still in office.

Republicans said you can't convict a former president.

The Democrats' opening argument was accompanied by powerful video footage. In retreat, Trump’s legal team hastily reshuffled their defence, pushing Bruce Castor, a former district attorney who declined to prosecute Bill Cosby ahead of David Schoen, who once represented the Ku Klux Klan.

The result was a rambling and often incoherent mess.

Republicans lost a vote, allowing the trial to start.

Mr Trump was said to be apoplectic in his Mar-a-Lago resort, “borderline screaming” at the speech.

WEDNESDAY

On Wednesday, the eight Democrat prosecutors worked in tandem to show how Mr Trump spent claiming election fraud that encouraged the mob.

Jamie Raskin, the lead Democrat, was overcome with emotion as he told the Senate how he had to apologise to his family for telling them he was safe to go to the Capitol before they watched rioters storm his work place on live TV.

When he gathered himself, Mr Raskin pointed the finger of blame at Mr Trump, who was, he said, “no innocent bystander.”

"The Commander in Chief became the Inciter in Chief of a dangerous insurrection," said Mr Raskin.

It was "The greatest betrayal of the presidential oath in the history of the United States."

And then came a 13-minute video of the events of January 6, including never-before seen footage from inside the Capitol building.

The footage was played on a high volume for maximum effect and some senators even got out of their seats to get a better view of the screen.

There were desperate calls for backup by police. Panicked Senators running through the building looking for escape routes. Brave police officers trying to hold their lines and push the rioters back.

But, crucially, the video started with Donald Trump’s speech at his ‘Save America’ rally at around 12:30pm.

Mr Trump told the crowd: “We fight like Hell and if you don’t fight like Hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

In his closing remarks, he added: “We’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, and we’re going to try and give our Republicans, the weak ones, because the strong ones don’t need any of our help, we’re going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”

By 1:49pm a riot was declared, the video showed.

The chilling clips clearly had a lasting impact on some senators.

Republican Mitt Romney, who was shown running for safety down a hall in Congress, said he, like every other senator, was watching the video for the first time. Mr Romney told reporters he had no idea how close he was to the rioters.

"It tears at your heart and brings tears to your eyes," he said. "That was overwhelmingly distressing and emotional".

THURSDAY

On Thursday, the prosecution said if Mr Trump is not impeached, he or his future imitators could do it all again.

They went through Mr Trump's public flirtations with violence, which go back to his campaign for the Republican nomination in 2015.

That year, he suggested a crowd at one of his rallies should "knock the hell out of" any protesters, adding: "I will pay for the legal fees, I promise." The prosecutors also cited Mr Trump's diffident response to the murder of anti-fascist activist Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.

The prosecutors also argued that the groups and activists behind the Capitol riot had long signalled their capacity for violence, describing a similar invasion of the Michigan state capitol last April, and a later plot to kidnap Michigan's governor Gretchen Whitmer.

There, again, they pointed to Mr Trump's behaviour: he had tweeted "LIBERATE MICHIGAN" two weeks before the Capitol event, and responded to the plot against Ms Whitmer by criticising her for not saying "thank you" and reiterating his demand to "open up your state".

When the Prosecution rested, all eyes were on the Republican Senators, 17 of whom would need to vote to convict. While some said they were “keeping an open mind” and “waiting to see all the evidence” others, including Josh Hawley said there was "Nothing new here for me at the end of the day."

FRIDAY

The four-man Republican defence team had a lot of catching up to do.

Speaking before proceedings, President Biden, on a walk around the White House gardens told reporters he was "anxious to see what my Republican friends do, if they stand up."

But when Michael van der Veen, a personal injury lawyer from Philadelphia stood up, he had ideas of his own.

He accused Democrats of "constitutional cancel culture" and a "monstrous" act of political vengeance designed to stop him running for the White House again.

The former president's legal team said his comments telling followers to "fight like hell' before the US Capitol siege on Jan 6 were free speech, and politicians had been saying similar for hundreds of years.

The word “fight” echoed around the Senate chamber hundreds of times. Most were in the context of fighting an election, or fighting for the people, but there were some more sinister instances - including when Joe Biden said he’d like to “beat the hell out of Donald Trump” if they were still in High school.

They were turning the argument back on the Democrats. But it was not a direct response to the question - Did Donald Trump incite an insurrection on January 6?

Mr Van der Veen said: "History will record this shameful effort as a deliberate attempt by the Democratic party to smear, censor and cancel not just President Trump but the 75 million Americans who voted for him.

"It is an unjust and blatantly unconstitutional act of political vengeance. This case, unfortunately, is about political hatred. The Democrats hate Donald Trump.”

On Donald Trump telling his supporters to “fight like hell” and “stop the steal,” Mr Van der Veen said: “These are not the words of someone inciting a violent insurrection."

The defence rested its case after less than four hours.

It was a far cry from the mess of their Day One opening arguments. The constant hammering of the claim that Democrats are just as inflammatory will have done much to win over Trump supporters across the country - and the 74-year-old himself, still resting in Mar-a-Lago.

It may have also been enough to win over some Republican Senators, who praised the “good job” the defence team had done.

SATURDAY

Saturday The day was earmarked for closing arguments, paving the way for a verdict sometime in the afternoon.

With Mitch McConnell, the Republican senate leader, telling colleagues that he would vote for Mr Trump’s acquittal, the slim chances of the former president being convicted receded into the distance.

Then Jamie Raskin, the lead House manager, threw the proceedings into disarray by announcing he wanted to subpoena Jaime Herrera Beutler, the Republican congresswoman.

On Friday night she had tweeted out details of conversation that Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader, had with Mr Trump as the mob stormed the Capitol on January 6.

It confirmed reports that Mr Trump had told Mr McCarthy: “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.”

It was damning stuff, suggesting Mr Trump was indifferent to the mayhem which was unfolding.

The Trump defence team was furious, many had already booked flights home. In response they threatened to call dozens of witnesses of its own including House speaker, Nancy Pelosi.

Chaos ensued. Two Republican senators, Utah’s Mitt Romney and Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson clashed.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader called a recess to allow negotiations between both sides to continue.

Meanwhile outside the chamber QAnon-supporting congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene rounded on Ms Herrera Beutler, warning that millions of Mr Trump’s supporters were watching.

Shortly after 1pm Mr Raskin had a change of heart, suggesting that a statement from the Washington congresswoman would suffice and witnesses would not be needed.

It cleared the way for both sides to submit their closing arguments.

The Senate voted 57-43 to find Mr Trump guilty, falling short of the 67 Senators needed to secure a conviction.