Trump impeachment trial live updates: Biden makes 1st comments on acquittal

The Senate has voted to acquit the former president in a 57-43 vote.

Seven Republicans senators -- Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania -- joined Democrats to vote Trump guilty of "incitement of insurrection" -- but they failed to reach the super majority threshold needed for a conviction.

The Senate chamber fell silent as each senator's name was called for the roll call vote.

As required by Senate rules, each senator present had to pronounce Trump "guilty" or "not guilty" while they stood behind their individual desks.

Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump at his last impeachment trial -- in which Trump was also acquitted.

The Senate was ten votes shy of conviction this time around.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., briefly rebutted Trump attorney Michael van der Veen's closing remarks, pointing out that he referred to the Jan. 6 riot as an "insurrection" after Trump attorney Bruce Castor told the Senate "there was no insurrection."

"I would certainly love to see President Trump also call it a violent insurrection and denounce it too," Raskin said. 

The last argument, he said, was "pathetically weak."

"It is, was about the First Amendment ... tell me, when has his speech ever been stifled?" Raskin asked. 

Raskin also couldn't resist taking several sarcastic jabs at the closing argument from van der Veen.

"The First Amendment is on our side," Raskin said, as he accused Trump of acting "no better" than a rioter on Jan. 6. 

 "We are defending the Bill of Rights. We are defending the constitutional structure. We are defending the separation of powers. We're defending the U.S. Senate," he declared. 

 "In many ways, he was worse," Raskin said of Trump. "He named the date, he named the time, and he brought them here, and now he must pay the price."

The Senate is voting on whether to find Trump guilty of "incitement of insurrection."

The clerk has read the article of impeachment in full ahead of the vote.

Leading closing arguments for the Trump defense team, attorney Michael van der Veen continued to equate Trump's speech ahead of the deadly riot at the Capitol to comments Democrats have made to supporters to "fight."

Van der Veen said protests over the summer in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in police custody celebrated "radicalism" and added that those protests allowed "marginalized people" "to blow off steam."

He condemned all rioting and said law enforcement deserves respect and support -- a view Trump has always held, van der Veen pushed.

Van der Veen then pivoted to the argument that the trial in itself is unconstitutional and unfair. However, the Senate voted on Tuesday 55-45 to affirm its power that Trump trial is Constitutional.

"For the first time in history, Congress has asserted the right to try and punish a former president who is a private citizen," van der Veen said. "Nowhere in the Constitution is the power enumerated or implied. Congress has no authority, no right, and no business holding a trial of citizen Trump, let alone a trial to deprive him of some fundamental civil rights."