U.S. President Donald Trump warned Republican lawmakers on Tuesday that they must secure victories in the 2026 congressional midterm elections, or Democrats will find a reason to impeach him.
“You gotta win the midterms, because if we don’t win, they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” Trump said during a retreat in Washington. “I’ll get impeached.”
Speaking ahead of the November elections, Trump urged lawmakers, who narrowly control the House of Representatives, to put aside differences and promote his policies on gender, healthcare, and election integrity to an electorate concerned about the cost of living.
“They say that when you win the presidency, you lose the midterm,” he said. “I wish you could explain to me what the hell’s going on with the mind of the public.”
Fresh off a military operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump faced pressure to focus on domestic issues such as inflation and rising prices. He briefly acknowledged these concerns, noting he inherited them from Democrats, and encouraged Republicans to campaign on strong U.S. stock market gains.
Trump made only a brief mention of the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack by his supporters, coinciding with the fifth anniversary, when Democrats criticized Republicans for downplaying the events.
The remarks came at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, whose board Trump purged last year of Democratic appointees. The remaining trustees voted in December to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center. In an unstructured, 84-minute speech, Trump also repeated several false claims, including that Washington, D.C., had no homicides in seven months—despite police reporting 127 murders in 2025, including one on New Year’s Eve.
Trump predicted Republicans would achieve an “epic midterm victory,” but criticized some members for failing to fully support him. All 435 House seats and a third of the Senate will be contested in November, with sitting presidents historically losing House seats in midterms.
He urged the party to counter Democrats’ unified healthcare message, particularly their push to extend subsidies that make Obamacare more affordable. Trump suggested conservative lawmakers be “a little flexible” regarding the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer dollars from funding abortions, while emphasizing the importance of “owning healthcare” policy.
Trump, who was impeached twice by a Democratic-led House during his 2017-2021 term but acquitted by the Senate both times, faces renewed impeachment threats in his second term. Some House Democrats have introduced articles of impeachment over alleged abuses of power, which the White House denies.
Republicans currently hold a narrow five-seat majority in the House, a margin that has frustrated Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. Trump has sought to expand executive authority on issues ranging from immigration to federal regulations, while the House has begun showing some independence, including a potential vote to override a veto on infrastructure projects in Colorado and Florida.
