Trump news - live:‘Can you believe this?’ President rages at ‘garbage’ Democrat impeachment investigation
Nancy Pelosi announces that Democrats are starting proceedings to try to force Donald Trump from office
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After having the threat hanging over him for what has felt like almost the whole of his presidency, Donald Trump now finally faces a formal impeachment investigation.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, announced that she was beginning the inquiry in response to allegations that the president was trying to recruit a foreign head of state to fabricate dirt on Joe Biden, the frontrunner to face Mr Trump in next year’s election.
In a statement she said: “The actions of the Trump presidency have revealed the dishonourable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections.”
It was a dramatic change of tack by Ms Pelosi, who has opposed efforts by her party colleagues to impeach the president.
But the controversy over Mr Trump’s mysterious July phone call to Volodymyr Zelensky, the efforts to keep a whistleblower’s complaint from Congress, and the suspicion that the president was trying to subvert American democracy - perhaps for a second time - served to change her mind.
The president himself punched back in characteristic fashion, unleashing a broadside of tweets that were by turn angry, insulting and boastful.
He reverted to some of his favourite catchphrases - “witch hunt”, “presidential harassment”; implied that efforts to hold him to account were tantamount to an attack on America - “so bad for our country”; and tweeted a re-election campaign video that featured him claiming that impeachment would help his poll numbers.
The impeachment process itself is likely to pass the lower chamber of Congress, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, where it needs a simple majority. But the Republican-controlled Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required for a conviction, looks virtually unattainable.
The Democrats will therefore hope that their dramatic gamble, 14 months before the presidential elections, pays off.
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Mr Trump appears to be struggling to speak clearly and can be heard slurring his words in this speech.
The language sounds aggressive but he is speaking like he is trying to put people to sleep – which he might have achieved with Wilbur Ross, his secretary of commerce...
Mr Trump has also called out governments who support Iran by saying: “No responsible government should subsidise Iran's blood lust.”
Meanwhile in the Senate, Chuck Schumer has said he will attempt to pass a resolution calling for the Ukraine whistleblower’s complaint to be provided to the Senate and House Intelligence Committees.
Here’s another Politico count on impeachment – according to their research, 15 of 47 Senate Democrats support some form of proceedings.
ABC News have tracked down Nancy Pelosi - she gave no comment when their reporter asked if it was time to impeach the president.
The president's speech did not go down well with Winston Churchill’s grandson, British MP Nicholas Soames.
Mr Soames asked if anyone had ever heard a “more dismal and worse delivered speech” than the one just delivered by Mr Trump.
Here's an example of Mr Trump appearing to stumble through his UN speech...
It seems unlikely that “Americans will never fire… or tire…” was part of the original speech.
The stumble could be another example of Mr Trump's "gaffe correction strategy", which was noticed by our reporter Phil Thomas earlier this year.
You can read all about that here.
For more on Wilbur Ross appearing to fall asleep during the president's speech, Andrew Buncombe has the story below.
BREAKING: Joe Biden has announced he will be delivering a statement on Donald Trump's call with Ukraine and the DNI whistleblower complaint.
The statement will be at 14:30 ET (19:30 UK time).
↵NEW: Donald Trump has admitted he withheld aid for Ukraine on Tuesday after reports said he repeatedly urged the country's leader to investigate his 2020 rival Joe Biden in a phone call earlier this year.
Speaking to reporters before heading into bilateral meetings at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, the president acknowledged the explosive reports about his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while attempting to turn the focus towards the former vice president.
The president claimed he withheld the financial aid meant to help defend Ukraine from Russia not because he wanted the country to launch an investigation into Mr Biden, but rather because he wanted to see other European countries contribute more money to Ukraine.
“I want Germany, and I want France, and I want the European Union to put up money,” he said.
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