Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Republican lawmakers that failing to win this year’s midterm elections could expose him to impeachment once again, using stark language to rally party unity as Republicans prepare for a difficult electoral cycle.
Speaking at a House Republican retreat held at the Kennedy Center, recently renamed to include Trump’s name by a board dominated by his appointees, the president framed the midterms as a referendum not only on Republican control of Congress but on his own political survival.
“You’ve got to win the midterms because if we don’t win the midterms, it’s just going to be they’ll find a reason to impeach me. I’ll get impeached,” Trump told lawmakers.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term in office. In 2019, the House impeached him for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over allegations that he pressured Ukraine’s president to interfere in the 2020 election. He was impeached again in January 2021, following the attack on the U.S. Capitol, on a charge of incitement of insurrection. In both cases, the Senate voted to acquit him.
“I got impeached twice on nothing,” Trump said, speaking on the fifth anniversary of the January 6 attack. With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, he acknowledged the historical challenges facing a president’s party during midterms, even while insisting that Republican policies are superior to those of Democrats.
“They say when you win the presidency, you lose the midterm,” Trump said, expressing frustration over what he described as a disconnect between Republican policy positions and public opinion. He accused Democrats of maintaining party discipline despite what he called failed leadership and poor governance under previous Democratic administrations.
Trump also mocked media criticism, joking that even suggesting Democrats should not have to face Republicans at the ballot box would lead to accusations of authoritarianism. “They always call me a dictator,” he said, as he continued to attack former Democratic presidents and party leaders.
The president’s remarks reflected growing concern within Republican ranks over their narrow House majority. The GOP currently holds the chamber by just two seats, a margin that has shrunk further following the unexpected death of California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa and the early retirement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene earlier this week.
Despite the tight numbers, Trump strongly endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson, who attended the retreat. Responding to critics who have called Johnson insufficiently aggressive, Trump defended the speaker’s leadership under difficult circumstances.
“Tougher? He’s tough as anybody in the room,” Trump said. “But you can’t be tough when you have a majority of three. And now, sadly, a little bit less than that.”
Beyond electoral strategy, Trump used the retreat to outline policy positions he believes Republicans should emphasize during the campaign. With health care expected to be a major issue following the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies at the end of 2025, Trump renewed his criticism of the ACA, commonly known as Obamacare.
He reiterated his preference for a system in which federal funds are paid directly to individuals rather than insurers or government programs. “Let the money go directly to the people,” Trump said, suggesting the use of personal health care accounts to allow Americans to purchase their own coverage.
Trump also addressed abortion policy, urging Republicans to show flexibility, particularly regarding the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortion services. While reaffirming his general opposition to abortion, he advised lawmakers to adopt a more pragmatic approach.
“You have to be a little flexible on Hyde,” Trump said. “You’ve got to work something. You’ve got to use ingenuity.”
He did not specify what form that flexibility should take, leaving uncertainty over how Republican candidates might navigate abortion policy in competitive districts.
Taken together, Trump’s remarks underscored the high stakes he attaches to the upcoming midterms. Framing the elections as a battle for both congressional power and personal political security, the president made clear that he views Republican victories as essential to shielding his presidency from renewed Democratic scrutiny and potentially another historic impeachment fight.
