John Oliver breaks down exactly what it would mean if Trump got impeached

It's complicated.
By Sam Haysom  on 
John Oliver breaks down exactly what it would mean if Trump got impeached
Watch Next

The word "impeach" probably wasn't something you'd heard spoken all that much before 2016.

Nowadays it's everywhere. But what does it actually mean?

"It is true that many people don't fully understand what impeachment involves," explains John Oliver in the clip above. "So we thought tonight might be a good time to discuss what it is, why it may be warranted, and what the risks might be in carrying it out."

As Oliver breaks down in his latest Last Week Tonight segment, impeachment is no simple matter. It requires a certain number of votes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The latter would mean 20 republican senators would need to go against Trump -- making it pretty unlikely that he'd actually end up leaving office.

But, as Oliver says, that doesn't mean we should do nothing.

"I can't guarantee that impeachment will work out the way that you want it to, because it probably won't," he finishes. "But that doesn't mean that it's not worth doing.

"Because if nothing else, we'd be standing by the basic, fundamental principle that nobody is above the law."

Mashable Image
Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.


Latest Videos
'Exploding Kittens' trailer: Tom Ellis stars as God in house cat form
An animated image of a house cat standing in a playground.

Meet the robots cleaning up Lake Tahoe
A split screen shows the three robots at work. Caption reads: "Robo cleaners"




'Firebrand' trailer teases Jude Law as as an unnerving Henry VIII
A man dressed as a Tudor King looks shocked.




'The Fall Guy' stunt team break down their favorite stunts from the film
By Warren Shaw
The Fall Guy Stunts

Kristi Noem's other dog fears for his life on 'SNL' Weekend Update
A smiling man in a dog suit.
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!