No U.S. president has ever been removed from office after a formal process. Two presidents—Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1999—were impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate and completed their terms. President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 to avoid likely impeachment and removal. No president has been expelled from office through any other process. This evergreen explainer clarifies the distinction between impeachment (a charge by the House) and removal (a conviction and ouster by the Senate), and reviews historical outcomes and the few serious threats to presidential tenure in U.S. history.
Impeachment vs Removal: Key Definitions
Impeachment is the constitutional process by which the House of Representatives brings charges against a federal official, including the president. It does not itself remove a president from power. Removal requires a subsequent trial and a two-thirds vote for conviction in the Senate. Confusion between these steps leads to common misstatements about presidential history. The House has impeached three presidents: Andrew Johnson (1868), Bill Clinton (1998), and Donald Trump (2019 and 2021). The Senate has convicted and removed zero presidents. Understanding this separation of powers mechanism is essential to interpreting any claims about presidential ouster.
Andrew Johnson: The First Impeachment, No Removal
Andrew Johnson, who became president after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, was impeached by the House in 1868 over policy disputes and violations of the Tenure of Office Act. The Senate trial ended one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict and remove him. Johnson completed his term, making him the only president to be impeached and remain in office. This episode established that impeachment is a political, not criminal, process and that removal requires a high bar of conviction in the Senate.
What the Johnson Impeachment Establishes
- Impeachment by the House does not equal removal; Senate conviction is required to remove.
- A single vote short of two-thirds preserves a president in office even after impeachment.
- Tenure disputes and tensions between branches can drive impeachment without resulting in removal.
Bill Clinton: Acquitted After Impeachment
Bill Clinton was impeached by the House in 1998 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The Senate held a trial in early 1999 and failed to reach the two-thirds majority on either charge, resulting in acquittal. Clinton served the remainder of his second term. Like Johnson, Clinton was impeached but not removed, underscoring that impeachment in the House and removal in the Senate are distinct steps.
Clinton Impeachment Outcomes at a Glance
| President | Impeachment Date (H) | Senate Trial Dates | Removed from Office? | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Johnson | February 24, 1868 | March 30–May 26, 1868 | No | Acquitted; served remainder of term |
| Bill Clinton | December 19, 1998 | January 14–February 12, 1999 | No | Acquitted; served remainder of term |
Richard Nixon: Resignation Before Removal
Richard Nixon faced near-certain impeachment and likely removal after the Watergate scandal and related investigations revealed extensive abuse of power and obstruction. In August 1974, before the House could vote on articles, Nixon resigned the presidency. His successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him for any federal offenses related to Watergate. Had Nixon been impeached and convicted, he would have become the only U.S. president removed from office. His resignation illustrates how political pressure and credible threat of removal can lead a president to leave voluntarily.
Other Attempts and Clarifications
No president has been expelled from office by an chamber or through other mechanisms such as the now-rarely used procedure to expel a member after a two-thirds vote. Attempts to shorten presidencies through the Twenty-fifth Amendment Section 4 (declarations of inability) have not resulted in removal. Outside of formal impeachment, challenges to presidential eligibility or calls for censure have not produced removal. It is important to distinguish between removal from office and other actions such as impeachment, censure, or primary losses.
Conclusion and Takeaways
- No U.S. president has been removed from office.
- Presidents can be impeached by the House without being removed by the Senate.
- Removal requires a Senate conviction on articles of impeachment by a two-thirds vote.
- Resignation is a way a presidency can end without impeachment or removal.
- The historical record is limited and precise: zero removals, two impeachments that did not result in removal, one resignation under threat of removal.
For readers seeking reliable guidance, the constitutional design intentionally makes removal difficult, so while presidents may face serious accountability measures, removal from office has not occurred in U.S. history.