The motion from Sen. Rand Paul argued a former president could not be convicted after leaving office, despite the impeachment itself occurring near the end of Trump's term.

It marked a stark contrast to the first time Trump was impeached in December 2019 over the Ukraine scandal, which was not supported by a single House Republican.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened six hours of impeachment debate by saying that "today is a national civics lesson, though a sad one."