Some House Democrats began clapping after voting to impeach President Donald Trump on Dec. 18, earning a glare from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“On this vote, the yeas are 230, the nays are 197. Present is one. Article 1 is adopted,” Pelosi said. Some lawmakers began to clap.
House Democrats approved both articles of impeachment against Trump, making him the third president in the history of the country to be impeached. No Republicans voted to approve either article and four Democrats either voted against at least one article or voted “present.” Since the impeachment effort began, its chances of surviving the Senate have been virtually nil, making it a more of a symbolic move.
Democrats repeatedly asserted that they didn’t want to impeach the president, despite a slew of caucus members pushing for impeachment shortly after he was inaugurated.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who vowed to “impeach the [expletive]” earlier this year, released a video on social media before the vote, smiling broadly and telling supporters: “I’m on my way to the United States House floor to impeach President Trump.” Her staff whooped as she spoke.
Members were also taking selfies during the vote.
Republican House members decried the claps after the vote.
“SICK: Nancy Pelosi has to quiet down fellow Democrats who begin to clap and cheer after impeaching @realDonaldTrump... A very solemn and serious process,” Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) said.
Sharing an article about what happened, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) wrote: “Yes this really happened.”
Pelosi, speaking to reporters after the vote, said: “December 18th, a great day for the Constitution of the United States, a sad one for America.”
“I could not be more inspired by the moral courage of the House Democrats,” she added. “We never asked one of them how they were going to vote. We saw the votes. You saw the public statements some of them made. We saw the result when everyone else did. The statements on the floor about patriotism and about being true to the vision of our founders. I view this vote as something we did to honor the vision of our founders to establish a republic, the sacrifice of men and women in uniform, to defend our democracy and that republic, and the aspirations of our children that they will always live in a democracy and that we have tried everything we can to make sure that is their reality.”
Trump responded on Twitter, sharing a picture that showed him pointing at the camera, with a caption stating: “They’re not after me. They’re after you. I’m just in the way.”
He added: “100% Republican Vote. That’s what people are talking about. The Republicans are united like never before!”
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