Trump warns Republicans’ defeat in midterms could make Democrats impeach him

Donald Trump, the United States president, has warned fellow Republicans that failure to win the 2026 congressional midterm elections could open the door for Democrats to impeach him once again.

Speaking on Tuesday at a retreat for Republican lawmakers in Washington, Trump said holding on to Congress was critical to the survival of his presidency. “You’ve got to win the midterms because, if we don’t win the midterms, they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” he told the gathering. “I’ll get impeached.”

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According to ABC News, Trump used the address to press party members to close ranks, warning that internal divisions could hand Democrats the power to block his agenda and launch investigations into his administration. Republicans currently hold only a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, a reality Trump said severely limits their room for manoeuvre.

“You can’t be tough when you have a majority of three,” he said, referring to Mike Johnson, House speaker.

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Trump urged lawmakers to focus their campaigns on core Republican themes, including gender policy, healthcare, and election integrity, while also appealing to voters struggling with the rising cost of living. He expressed frustration with a long-standing political pattern in which the party that wins the presidency often loses ground in the midterms.

“They say that when you win the presidency, you lose the midterm,” Trump said. “I wish you could explain to me what the hell is going on with the mind of the public.”

All seats in the House and one-third of the Senate will be contested in November 2026. No sitting United States president has avoided losing House seats in the midterms since George W. Bush in 2006, a statistic that looms large over Republican strategy.

On healthcare, Trump urged lawmakers to counter Democratic messaging, particularly calls to extend subsidies linked to Obamacare. “All of these issues are critical issues, but you can own healthcare,” he said. “Figure it out.” He made only a passing reference to inflation, blaming Democrats for the problem, and encouraged Republicans to campaign on gains in the United States stock market. Trump also downplayed the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters, as Democrats marked the fifth anniversary of the riot and accused Republicans of trying to rewrite its history.

The retreat, held at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, featured an unscripted speech lasting more than an hour. During his remarks, Trump repeated several disputed claims, including that Washington had recorded no homicides for months.

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He predicted what he described as an “epic midterm victory” for Republicans, while criticising conservative members he said were unwilling to compromise on issues such as the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortion.

Trump was impeached twice during his first term and acquitted by the Senate on both occasions. “I got impeached twice on nothing,” he told lawmakers. In his second term, some House Democrats have already introduced new articles of impeachment, allegations the White House has dismissed.

Faith Omoboye is a foreign affairs correspondent with background in History and International relations. Her work focuses on African politics, diplomacy, and global governance.

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