When people talk about the list of impeached presidents, there is usually a lot of confusion about what that actually means. You’ve probably heard the term thrown around on the news like it’s a political death sentence. But honestly? It's more like a formal "shaming" by the House of Representatives.
It doesn't mean the president is gone. It just means they’ve been charged.
Think of it like being indicted in a criminal court. You’ve been accused, but you haven't been convicted yet. In the history of the United States, only three men have ever been on this list. And despite the chaos those proceedings caused, not one of them was actually kicked out of the White House by the Senate.
The Actual List of Impeached Presidents
If you're looking for the short answer, here it is. As of 2026, the list includes:
- Andrew Johnson (1868)
- Bill Clinton (1998)
- Donald Trump (2019 and 2021)
That’s it. That is the whole list. You’ll notice a name missing that everyone expects to see: Richard Nixon. We'll get into why he’s the "almost" president later.
Andrew Johnson: The First and the Most Angry
Andrew Johnson had the impossible task of following Abraham Lincoln. To say he was unpopular would be a massive understatement. He was a Democrat from Tennessee running a country full of "Radical Republicans" who wanted to punish the South after the Civil War. Johnson wanted to be lenient; Congress wanted to be tough.
Basically, Congress set a trap for him. They passed the Tenure of Office Act, which said the president couldn't fire his own cabinet members without permission. Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin Stanton anyway.
The House impeached him almost immediately. When it got to the Senate trial, he escaped removal by just one single vote. One.
Bill Clinton: The 90s Drama
Fast forward over a century. Most people remember the Bill Clinton impeachment for the scandal with Monica Lewinsky, but the legal charges were actually perjury and obstruction of justice. The House argued that he lied under oath during a federal deposition.
It was a media circus.
But when the Senate vote came around in early 1999, it wasn't even close. They didn't get anywhere near the two-thirds majority needed to remove him. Clinton’s approval ratings actually went up during the whole mess. People were tired of the investigation and just wanted to move on.
Donald Trump: The Only Two-Timer
Donald Trump is unique on the list of impeached presidents because he’s the only one to ever be impeached twice.
The first time was in 2019. The charges were abuse of power and obstruction of Congress regarding a phone call with the President of Ukraine. The second time was in 2021, just days before he left office. That one was for "incitement of insurrection" following the events at the Capitol on January 6th.
He was acquitted both times by the Senate. Even the second trial, which happened after he had already left the White House, didn't result in a conviction.
Why Richard Nixon Isn't on the List
This is the biggest "Gotcha" in American history. Richard Nixon is the face of presidential scandal because of Watergate, but he technically isn't an impeached president.
Why? Because he quit first.
By August 1974, the "Smoking Gun" tapes had been released. Nixon’s support in the Senate had completely evaporated. His own party told him that if he stayed, he would be impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate. He’d be the first president ever forcibly removed.
Instead of facing that humiliation, he resigned. Since he was no longer in office, the House dropped the proceedings. He stayed off the list by the skin of his teeth.
How the Process Actually Works (Simply)
The Constitution is kinda vague about what counts as an "impeachable offense." It mentions "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
But what does "high Crimes and Misdemeanors" even mean?
Honestly, it means whatever Congress wants it to mean at the time. Gerald Ford famously said that an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House says it is.
- The Inquiry: The House Judiciary Committee looks at evidence.
- The House Vote: If a simple majority (51%) votes "Yes" on articles of impeachment, the president is officially impeached.
- The Senate Trial: This is the big show. The Senate acts as the jury. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides.
- The Conviction: To actually kick the president out, you need a two-thirds majority (67 out of 100 senators).
No one has ever hit that 67-vote mark for a president. Not once.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that "impeachment" equals "fired."
You've probably seen people on social media saying, "We need to impeach him so he's gone!" But history shows that impeachment is more of a political stain than a removal tool. In fact, it often backfires. Both Clinton and Trump saw their core supporters get more energized after their impeachments.
Another thing: an impeached president doesn't lose their pension or their Secret Service detail unless they are convicted and removed. Since no one has been convicted, every man on the list of impeached presidents kept their perks.
Current Status in 2026
Even now, in 2026, we see the echoes of these events. There are still debates in Congress about whether the bar for impeachment has become too low or if it’s the only way to keep a president in check. Recent attempts to introduce new articles against sitting or former officials show that this "nuclear option" is being used more frequently than the Founding Fathers ever intended.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you’re trying to keep track of this for a class or just to win a bar bet, remember these three things:
- Impeachment is the charge, not the conviction. It’s like being served with a lawsuit.
- The Senate has the real power. The House can yell all they want, but the Senate decides if the president stays or goes.
- Resignation is the only "sure" way a scandal-ridden president leaves. Nixon proved that the only way to avoid the list is to walk away before the vote happens.
To stay truly informed, you should look up the specific "Articles of Impeachment" for each president. They tell a much deeper story about the era's politics than a simple list ever could. Reading the actual House resolutions from the 1860s versus the 2020s reveals just how much our language and our legal standards have shifted over 150 years.