Donald Trump and Mike Pence met for the first time since rioters stormed the US Capitol

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence met on Monday for the first time since rioters stormed the US Capitol last week, signaling a united front as Democratic efforts to impeach Trump gain momentum.

The meeting in the Oval Office — described as “a good conversation” by a senior official — came ahead of a critical 48-hour period when Pence will come under pressure to break from the president and initiate his removal.

Just eight days before his term ends, and nearly a week after a failed insurrection scarred the seat of America’s democracy, Trump heads to Texas on Tuesday in one of his final trips as president, desperate to reach friendlier territory so he can tout his administration’s successes.

In Washington, though, he is the target of efforts to remove him from power, including a historic second impeachment, this time for “incitement of insurrection” over his supporters’ deadly breach of the Capitol building.

First, the House of Representatives will vote Tuesday on a longshot bid to get Pence and the cabinet to invoke the US Constitution’s 25th Amendment, which would declare Trump unfit to perform his duties and install Pence as acting president.

Pence’s meeting with Trump appeared to quash any prospects of that outcome.