Trump is fourth U.S. president to face impeachment as Democrats unveil charges

U.S. President Donald Trump sits alongside Vice President Mike Pence as they participate in a roundtable discussion on "education choice" in the cabinet room at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 9, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives announced impeachment charges against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, making him the fourth president in U.S. history to face a formal effort to remove him from office.

The Democratic-controlled House is almost certain to vote to impeach the president as soon as next week, setting up a trial in the Republican-led Senate early next year, shortly before the presidential election kicks off with primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire.