Richard Nixon would have likely been impeached in 1974 after the Watergate scandal – the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and the Nixon administration’s attempts to cover up its involvement – had he not become the first President to resign. Now the current President, Mr Trump, is facing scandal after he was accused of withdrawing aid from Ukraine before asking President in Kiev – Volodomy Zelensky – to initiate an investigation into Democratic Party candidate for 2020 elections Joe Biden.
While the accusation of attempting to enlist the help of a foreign power to dig up dirt on a political rival is a damning one for Mr Trump, the impeachment proceedings won’t necessarily see the President removed from office.
For that to happen, the case against President Trump would have to be supported by the Senate, which is controlled by Republican party allies.
It is likely that the only way Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats can oust President Trump from the White House is via the ballot box in 2020.
But, President Nixon was also in a strong position before his eventual downfall post-Watergate.
In the 1972 election, which secured the Republican leader’s second term, he won by 23 percent and carried a staggering 49 states.
As he was sworn in for second term in 1973, his approval rating soared to 67%, but then Watergate criticism began to take its toll, which combined with his unpopular Hanoi bombings sent his popularity into free fall.
Mr Trump’s popularity may have climbed 2 points to 48 percent after day one of hearings, but support for Mr Nixon’s impeachment didn’t take a significant rise until a short time before his own impeachment inquiry began in October 1973.
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Mr Nixon’s first hearings had a much bigger impact, as they saw his his approval ratings drop down as low as 31 percent.
And now, despite his approval ratings not budging, a poll by Reuters and IPSOS suggests more Americans support impeachment of the current President.
The national online poll, which ran from Thursday to Friday morning, showed that 44 percent of US adults said Trump “should be impeached,” while 40 percent said he “should not be impeached.”
The power may remain with those in the Senate, but if support for impeachment grows, or worse, more damning evidence is revealed, Mr Trump could come under increasing pressure to stand down.
Despite his confidence, Mr Trump will be mindful of how far Mr Nixon fell as criticism grew.