The second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump kicks off Tuesday after weeks of uncertainty surrounding the specifics of the trial.
Democrats will make an attempt to convince their Republican counterparts in the Senate that Trump incited the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, even as the likelihood of conviction seems highly unlikely.
Read more about the trial and how to tune in below.
How to watch and listen
Watch the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the video above, starting when the trial gavels at 1pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Listen live on RADIO.COM.
Why is Trump being put on trial?
The former president is being put on trial for the charge of incitement, which was the basis for his impeachment article. During the trial, impeachment managers will mount an argument for why the president's actions led to the Capitol siege last month.
What format will the trial take?
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Ver., will preside over the trial, rather than Chief Justice John Roberts. While the chief justice normally presides over impeachment trials, Roberts declined to do so in this case because Trump is not the sitting president.
After the gavel at 1pm ET on Tuesday, there will be four hours that will be split between House impeachment managers and Trump's defense team to debate whether the trial is constitutional. The Senate will then vote on this question, and in this case, given last month's 55-45 vote on a very similar question, they will be expected to once again vote in the affirmative.
This would be followed by 16 hours over two days for the House to make its argument starting at noon on Wednesday. After this stretch, Trump's legal team will also have 16 hours over two days to make their defense of the former president.
While the Senate will be permitted to depose Trump's defense team, no witnesses are expected to be called upon. This means that the trial is likely to come to its final vote some time next week.
Will Trump be convicted?
This outcome is considered highly unlikely by lawmakers on both sides in Congress. Democrats in the Senate need 17 Republican votes to successfully convict Trump. In last month's forced vote on the trial's constitutionality, 45 Republicans held that the trial is unconstitutional, and 5 voted that it is constitutional. This means that Democrats would need to change the minds of 12 Republican senators, an unlikely outcome, especially as many Republican lawmakers have publicly argued that the trial is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer sitting president, even as they have been critical of his remarks and actions leading up to the Capitol siege.
