However, the reception has been lukewarm so far from Democrats, who would prefer to see the former president convicted in the impeachment trial, and from Republicans, who fear political consequences in barring Trump from office.
Democrats could find another way to bar Donald Trump from high office, using a little-known clause in the constitution's 14th amendment, according to a leading US legal scholar.
A look at five key questions about what to expect when senators hear the case against the former president in the very chamber that was besieged by insurrectionists.