Republicans were trying to gauge the dynamics of a vote to convict Trump,while the Democrats argued about how to do it without derailing Biden's agenda.
Scholars say Trump's efforts to overturn his election defeat - and his response to COVID-19 - have cemented his place as America's worst president.
At an emergency security briefing,Vice-President Mike Pence said the"American people deserve a safe inauguration on January 20".
For several weeks,the Trump-associated lawyers were an almost-daily presence on Fox shows arguing the US President had been robbed of a second term.
Republican Congress members defending President Donald Trump made the comparison again before voting against his impeachment.
The President has even turned on his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and grown irritated at his lavish spending,telling aides to stop paying him.
Tom Rice's vote may have been the most surprising. He voted last week to object to certification of electoral votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Attention is President Trump's oxygen. Democrats can turn off the life support.
Still,even out of power Trump would remain a potent force with his tens of millions of followers. Any Republican senator who bucks Trump risks his wrath.
The next president of the United States is exhibiting the deliberate approach to politics that became the trademark of his march to the White House.
Trump also called on his supporters to remain peaceful amid concerns about additional violence in the days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.