US President Donald Trump has been impeached. What happens now?

Donald Trump has become the third US President in history to be impeached.

After a marathon eight-hour debate, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives voted to impeach Mr Trump on two counts: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

He is still the US President and will face a Senate trial in 2020.

So, what happens next?

After the House votes

Now his peers have voted to impeach, Mr Trump must make a decision.

It is a choice shared by only three other presidents: be impeached and fight for your office in the Senate or resign. Both Mr Clinton in 1999 and President Andrew Johnson in 1868 fought in the House and ultimately survived a Senate trial.

READ MORE: Donald Trump becomes third US president to be impeached

ANALYSIS: Donald Trump impeachment - is it worth the pain?

Mr Nixon, after learning that Republicans would not support him during impeachment, resigned before the House could vote to impeach him.

There were four articles of impeachment against Clinton, but only two were approved, on mostly party-line votes with a few defections.

A Senate trial

Now the House has voted to impeach Mr Trump, the Constitution calls for a trial in the US Senate. There was some question as to whether Republicans in the Senate would even bother since they likely have the votes to easily dismiss the charges.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell simply decided not hold a vote on Merrick Garland's nomination by President Barack Obama to sit on the Supreme Court. There's been plenty of speculation about whether Mr McConnell would simply decide not to hold an impeachment trial.

At the trial, senators become jurors and the chief justice of the US Supreme Court presides - that's John Roberts.

The House votes on managers who bring the trial in the Senate. Although they might be helped by outside counsel, the House managers actually bring the trial and present evidence. The impeached official can offer a defense or have counsel do it.

While Democrats hold a majority in the House, Republicans control the Senate with a 53-45 majority. Two independents usually side with Democrats. But it takes a supermajority to remove a President from office. That means 67 senators - two thirds of the 100 members - would have to agree that Mr Trump should be removed from office.

With the current party split, 20 Republicans would have to turn on him. At the moment, exactly zero Republicans senators have said anything close to supporting the idea of impeachment.

How long does this take?

This process can take months. For Mr Johnson, the entire process lasted 94 days, from first congressional action to Senate acquittal, lasted from February 22, 1868 to May 26, 1868.

For Mr Nixon, it lasted 184 days. The House approved the impeachment inquiry on February 6, 1974 and Nixon resigned.

For Mr Clinton, it lasted 127 days. The House approved the impeachment inquiry on October 8, 1998, and the Senate acquitted him on February 12, 1999.