A deal to remove Trump? Democrats seek Republican allies
Democratic political sources have revealed divisions within the party over whether to pursue impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump. Disagreements concern the value of such a move, its timing and the political options available.
The sources said Democratic leaders were seeking agreements with Republican senators to create the political conditions necessary to launch proceedings. The initiative would coincide with the party taking control of Congress next January following its midterm election victory.
Related: A new Senate battle looms as Republicans prepare for a possible Trump impeachment.
According to the sources, one faction believes the party must inflict a political and personal defeat on Trump and constrain his ability to exercise his powers during the remainder of his term. Launching impeachment proceedings could, in their view, consume his energy and distract him from potential pre-emptive moves against Democrats.
The party’s preparations for the new Congress therefore extend beyond holding Trump administration officials accountable and investigating corruption allegations involving some of them. They also include political arrangements aimed at advancing impeachment proceedings against the Republican president.
These efforts also involve preparing cases against prominent Republican figures in the administration, some of whom are expected to harbour presidential ambitions for 2028. The aim would be to weaken their political prospects and disrupt their preparations for the race.
The risk of a fierce political backlash
A Democratic official in Washington said some prominent party figures viewed abandoning impeachment as a political mistake. They believe it could give Trump greater room to launch pre-emptive moves against the Democrats’ legislative programme and undermine their forthcoming priorities.
Other Democratic leaders, however, oppose a course they regard as retaliatory. They warn of consequences for the party’s popularity and electoral base, arguing that concentrating on pursuing Trump could divert attention from more pressing issues.
The official cautioned that impeachment proceedings could provoke a fierce political backlash. Voters, the official noted, had backed Democrats in protest against economic conditions and continuing wars, making tangible results essential.
The official also raised concerns that potential agreements with Republican senators could backfire on Democrats, particularly given Trump’s ability to exploit political deals and manoeuvres to advance his interests and unsettle his opponents.
Two impeachments without a conviction
A Republican official, meanwhile, noted that Democrats had already impeached Trump twice but failed to secure his conviction in the Senate. Repeating the process and failing again, despite holding a majority, could carry a high political cost, the official argued.
The official added that Democrats did not generally pursue political revenge. A fresh impeachment effort, the official warned, could cost them support among undecided and independent voters and weaken their prospects in the next presidential election.
The official considered it more likely that Democrats would seek to destabilise the Trump administration from within and press for immediate changes to its personnel. This would limit confrontation with the president while weakening his ability to manage political affairs in the period ahead.
Such pressure could prompt Trump to reorganise his administration and replace certain officials to avoid a confrontation with the new Congress, particularly amid the prospect of investigations and oversight proceedings that could raise questions about his administration’s integrity.
Political and symbolic gains
John Dabeet, a Democratic politician and member of the party’s central committee in Iowa, believes efforts to remove Donald Trump are primarily intended to secure political and symbolic gains. Democrats could use their House majority from next January to approve impeachment by a simple majority.
He said that securing a Senate conviction leading to removal would require a two-thirds majority—67 votes if all 100 senators participate. That would be difficult with only 56 Democratic seats unless several Republicans joined them.
The former Democratic Senate candidate said regaining control of both chambers of Congress and the leadership of specialised committees from January 2027 would allow the party to hold Trump and his administration accountable and fulfil campaign pledges to change the American political landscape.
Dabeet said investigations would cover economic, health and foreign-policy issues, foremost among them the war against Iran and the unrestricted military support Trump provided to Benjamin Netanyahu. Pursuing administration officials, he argued, would be more painful for Trump than impeachment and would lay the groundwork for the 2028 election battle.
