President Donald Trump warned that an impeachment effort could “destroy” the Democratic Party after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. (Foto: Instagram)
President Donald Trump said Wednesday, Nov. 4, that an impeachment effort against him could “destroy” the Democratic Party. He made the remark during an interview in the White House ballroom, a day after Democrats won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Trump characterized a possible impeachment as baseless and argued that it would hurt Democrats. He said the country was more successful than at any other point in its history, presenting that as a reason an impeachment effort would lack justification.
The president also said he believed he could work with Democrats in the new Congress, provided they did not seek to act destructively. He said he would use his veto power if he opposed legislation they pursued. Trump added that Democrats had already contacted him and wanted to discuss issues, which he said he was willing to do.
Trump argued that Republicans would have performed better if he had been on the ballot. Pointing to the large crowds at his campaign rallies, he said he had been unable to transfer the enthusiasm he saw there to Republican candidates. He maintained that Republicans would have won if voters had been choosing him directly, while acknowledging that his support at rallies did not translate into votes for the party’s candidates.
The Democratic majority is expected to give the opposition more ability to block the administration’s proposals and increase congressional scrutiny of the Trump administration. The shift could also make it harder for the president to advance his legislative priorities over the next two years. Democrats’ control of Congress creates the possibility of investigations into administration officials. An impeachment process would require the House to approve charges; the Senate would then conduct a trial and decide whether to convict.
Voters also chose governors in 36 of the 50 states. As of the latest results update, Democrats had won 22 governorships and Republicans had won 12. Democrats also captured five states previously governed by Republicans: Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Ohio and Nevada.
