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President Donald Trump was聽impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming only the third American chief executive to be formally charged under the Constitution鈥檚 ultimate remedy for high crimes and misdemeanors.

The historic vote split along party lines Wednesday night, much the way it has divided the nation, over a charge that the 45th president abused the power of his office by enlisting a foreign government to investigate a political rival ahead of the 2020 election. The House then approved a second charge, that he obstructed Congress in its investigation.

The articles of impeachment,聽the political equivalent of an indictment, now go to the Senate for trial. If Mr. Trump is acquitted by the Republican-led chamber, as expected, he still would have to run for reelection carrying the enduring stain of impeachment on his purposely disruptive presidency.

House Speaker Nancy聽Pelosi threw a bit of uncertainty into the process聽Wednesday night by declining to say when, or even whether, she would send the charges to the Senate. Mr. Trump tweeted Thursday that the Senate should just go ahead and the Democrats 鈥渨ould lose by default,鈥� but the trial cannot begin until the articles are delivered.

鈥淭he president is impeached,鈥� Ms. Pelosi declared after the vote. She called it 鈥渁 great day for the Constitution of the United States, a sad one for America that the president鈥檚 reckless activities necessitated us having to introduce articles of impeachment.鈥�

Mr.聽Trump, who began Wednesday tweeting his anger at the proceedings, pumped his fist before聽an evening rally in Battle Creek, Michigan,聽boasting of 鈥渢remendous support鈥� in the Republican Party.

The votes for impeachment were 230-197-1 on the first charge, 229-198-1 on the second.

Democrats led Wednesday night鈥檚 voting, framed in what many said was their duty to protect the Constitution and uphold the nation鈥檚 system of checks and balances. Republicans stood by their party鈥檚 leader, who has frequently tested the bounds of civic norms. Mr.聽Trump called the whole affair a 鈥渨itch hunt,鈥� a 鈥渉oax,鈥� and a 鈥渟ham,鈥� and sometimes all three.

The trial is expected to begin in January in the Senate, where a vote of two-thirds is necessary for conviction. While Democrats had the majority in the House to impeach Trump, Republicans control the Senate and few if any are expected to diverge from plans to acquit the president ahead of early state election-year primary voting.

Ms. Pelosi, once reluctant to lead Democrats into a partisan impeachment, gaveled both votes closed, risking her majority and speakership to follow the effort to its House conclusion.

No Republicans voted for impeachment, and Democrats had only slight defections on their side. Voting was conducted manually with ballots, to mark the moment.

On the first article, abuse of power, two Democrats,聽Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, who is considering switching parties to become a Republican, and Collin Peterson of Minnesota voted against impeaching Mr.聽Trump. On the second article, obstruction, those two and freshman Rep. Jared Golden of Maine voted against. Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who is running for president, voted 鈥減resent鈥� on both.

What Ms. Pelosi called a sad and solemn moment for the country, coming in the first year after Democrats swept control of the House, unfolded in a caustic daylong session that showcased the nation鈥檚 divisions.

The聽House impeachment resolution聽laid out in stark terms the articles of impeachment against Mr.聽Trump stemming from his July phone call when he asked the Ukrainian president for聽a 鈥渇avor鈥澛犫�� to announce he was investigating Democrats including potential 2020 rival Joe Biden.

At the time, Mr.聽Zelenskiy, new to politics and government, was seeking a coveted White House visit to show backing from the U.S. as he confronted a hostile Russia at his border. He was also counting on $391 million in military aid already approved by Congress. The White House delayed the funds, but Mr.聽Trump eventually released the money once Congress intervened.

Narrow in scope but broad in its charges, the impeachment resolution said the president 鈥渂etrayed the nation by abusing his high office to enlist a foreign power in corrupting democratic elections,鈥� and then obstructing Congress鈥� oversight like 鈥渘o president" in U.S. history.

鈥淧resident Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,鈥� it said.

Republicans argued that Democrats were impeaching Mr.聽Trump because they can鈥檛 beat him in 2020.

Said Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah: "They want to take away my vote and throw it in the trash."

But Democrats warned the country cannot wait for the next election to decide whether Trump should remain in office because he has shown a pattern of behavior, particularly toward Russia, and will try to corrupt U.S. elections again.

"The president and his men plot on,鈥� said Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., of the Intelligence Committee that led the inquiry. 鈥淭he danger persists. The risk is real.鈥�

The outcome brings the Trump presidency to a milestone moment that has been building almost from the time the New York businessman-turned-reality-TV host unexpectedly won the White House in 2016 amid questions about Russian interference in the U.S. election.

Democrats drew from history, the founders, and their own experiences, as minorities, women, and some immigrants to the U.S. spoke of seeking to honor their oath of office to uphold the Constitution. Rep. Lou Correa of California spoke in Spanish asking God to unite the nation. 鈥淚n America,鈥� said Hakeem Jeffries of New York, 鈥渘o one is above the law.鈥�

Republicans aired Trump-style grievances about what Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko called a 鈥渞igged鈥� process.

鈥淲e face this horror because of this map,鈥� said Rep. Clay Higgins of Alabama before a poster of red and blue states. 鈥淭hey call this Republican map flyover country, they call us deplorables, they fear our faith, they fear our strength, they fear our unity, they fear our vote, and they fear our president.鈥�

The political fallout from the vote will reverberate across an already polarized country with divergent views of Mr.聽Trump鈥檚 July phone call when he asked Mr.聽Zelenskiy to investigate Democrats in the 2016 election, Mr.聽Biden, and Mr.聽Biden's son Hunter, who worked on the board of a gas company in Ukraine while his father was the vice president.

Mr.聽Trump has repeatedly implored Americans to read the transcript of the call he said was 鈥減erfect.鈥� But the facts it revealed, and those in an anonymous whistleblower鈥檚 complaint that sparked the probe, are largely undisputed.

Beyond the impeachments of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, this first impeachment of the 21st century is as much about what the president might do in the future as what he did in the past. The investigation of Richard Nixon ended when he resigned rather than face the House vote over Watergate.

Rank-and-file Democrats said they were willing to lose their jobs to protect the democracy from Mr.聽Trump. Some newly elected freshmen remained in the chamber for hours during the debate.

Top Republicans, including Rep. Devin Nunes on the Intelligence Committee, called the Ukraine probe little more than a poor sequel to special counsel Robert Mueller鈥檚 investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Mr.聽Mueller spent two years investigating the potential links between Moscow and the Trump campaign but testified in July that his team could not establish that Trump conspired or coordinated with Russia to throw the election. Mr.聽Mueller did say he could not exonerate Mr.聽Trump of trying to obstruct the investigation, but he left that for Congress to decide.

The next day, Mr.聽Trump called Ukraine. Not quite four months later, a week before Christmas, Mr.聽Trump was impeached.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Laurie Kellman, Matthew Daly, Alan Fram, and Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.