How many senators are needed to convict Trump and when do they vote?

There is no set timeline for the length of an impeachment trial

Donald Trump's historic second Senate impeachment began this week, just over a month after the US Capitol riot for which Democrats have accused the former president of "incitement to insurrection".

On 9 February, Senators officially started proceedings for the trial in the same building in which pro-Trump supporters stormed only weeks earlier, leading to the deaths of five people.

But when will the trial end and how many votes are needed to convict Trump?

There is no set timeline for the length of an impeachment trial and a number of factors can influence timings before senators can vote and a verdict can be reached.

However, there is good reason to believe that the impeachment will play out quickly, as both parties have reasons to aim for a short trial.

The former president’s previous impeachment trial took three weeks, but this time around there has been speculation that the proceedings will only take around a week before a vote is taken.

Read more: Follow all the latest Trump impeachment news live

In order to secure a conviction, a supermajority of 67 votes, will be needed. At least 17 Senate Republicans alongside all 50 Democratic senators would have to vote against Mr Trump.

However, this seems unlikely as only six Republican senators voted on Tuesday that the trial was constitutional and should go ahead at all.

After arguments are laid out by both the prosecution and defence, senators will have a total of four hours to question the prosecutors and the defense team.

Following this, the Senate will then decide whether they will call on witnesses and documents, which will include a debate and a vote in the Democratic-led Senate.

It is yet unclear whether the Senate will vote to call witnesses. If they do this it will add more time to proceedings, but if not the trial could then rapidly come to a close by running through final steps.

Potential motions by senators, up to four hours of closing arguments, time for deliberation, and then finally a vote on whether to convict Mr Trump for incitement to insurrection would then follow.

It has become seen as increasingly unlikely that the Senate will vote to convict Mr Trump as GOP senators close ranks around him with many having spoken out against the House Democrat-led impeachment efforts.

Democrats are also keen to allow US president Joe Biden to pass his legislative agenda through Congress, and will not want to spend too much time on the proceedings.

Much of the argument that Mr Trump “incited” the mob who attacked Congress is also publicly evident and less time is expected to be taken up with debating.

Senators on both sides have estimated that the trial will only take around a week, but a definitive answer can not be given for certain. 

"I just can't imagine that it's going to go beyond a week," Republican senator Kevin Cramer told The Hill last week. "I don't think there's a lot of enthusiasm for this thing from anybody."

Democratic senator Chris Murphy also told the outlet: "I don't think it needs to last more than a week,” adding: “A couple of days for each side would be sufficient.”