Donald Trump has made history once again, this time as the first president to be impeached twice. A year ago, the move was opposed in lockstep by the Republican Party. This time, a handful of conservatives backed the move. It is a reflection not only of the gravity of the moment, but also the president's declining influence in the final days of his administration. Impeachment sets up a Senate trial for Mr Trump that now appears destined to stretch into the early days of Joe Biden's presidency, creating yet another challenge for the incoming president. It also will stoke an ongoing debate among Republicans over the direction their party takes in the days ahead. The party is on a path that splits into two very different directions. On one side is continued allegiance to the president's brand of politics one that created a new coalition of voters that delivered the White House and Congress in 2016, but lost both in 2020. On the other is an uncertain future but one free from the president's unique style of heat and rhetoric unfiltered invective that even many Republicans now believe contributed to last week's Capitol riot.
