Donald Trump shares third impeachment fears if Republicans lose midterms
In an unusual show of concern over the upcoming midterms, Trump claimed he’ll ‘be impeached’ if the Democrats win
Donald Trump has expressed his fears that a third impeachment attempt to remove him from office could go ahead if the Republicans lose the upcoming midterms later this year.
The US President, who has previously been subject to impeachment proceedings twice in the past, revealed his concerns over a potential third attempt on Tuesday as he warned that Democrats would ‘find a reason to impeach’ him, if Republicans didn’t band together.
The surprising admission of any kind of vulnerability marked a stark turning point for Trump, who typically carries himself as if he is both above the law and above the scrutiny of the American public.
“You got to win the midterms, because if we don’t win the midterms, they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” Trump said in an attempt to rally voters. “I’ll get impeached.”
With a string of pivotal midterm elections due to take place this year that could see the Republican grip on the US slipping, the president’s warning is the first indication we have had that he may not be quite so convinced of his ongoing appeal.
Trump addressed Republican representatives during a speech on Tuesday ( Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Democrats have been steadily gaining more traction in the polls throughout the first year of Trump’s second term, with concerns raised about his stance on immigration policy, his hostile foreign policies and cavalier command of the economy among some of the key issues worrying voters.
Trump addressed representatives at the start of an all-day policy forum for House Republicans inside the Trump-Kennedy Center on Tuesday January 6, a performing arts building recently (and controversially) renamed in his honor
Trump conceded that his agenda had so far failed to resonate with voters, while also berating the press for failing to report on his ‘achievements’, notably his record on illegal immigration and recent drug company deal to lower the price of many prescription meds.
Yet these, surprisingly, were not the areas he wanted Republicans to focus on in their upcoming campaign trails, instead encouraging them to address polarising issues such as transgender women’s participation in sport and tackling violent crime.
In his hour long address, the President expressed his concerns over a potential third impeachment attempt (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
He also called upon the party to set aside their differences and show a unified front if they wanted to stand a hope in hell of beating the Democrats at the polls.
Trump also urged House Republicans to reclaim health care from the Democrats as a political issue, particularly in the case of abortion legislation.
Many pro-life Republicans have taken issue with the language used surrounding the implementation of the Hyde Amendment, a law that has been in place since the 1980s and that restricted the use of federal funds to pay for abortions except in certain cases.
Trump urged his party to remain ‘flexible’ on the issue, telling Representatives: “You got to be a little flexible. You got to work something. We’re all big fans of everything but you got to have flexibility.”
He’s also keen to roll out new guidance regarding mandatory voter ID, a subject very close to the President’s heart given that the January 6 capitol riots largely stemmed from his persistent yet unproven claims that the 2020 election had been ‘stolen’ by Joe Biden.
Trump ally Steve Bannon claims he’s ‘going to jail’ if Republicans lose midterms
Election wins for the Democrats could see key figures in the Republican movement facing legal trouble, Steve Bannon has warned
Conservative political strategist and key Trump ally Steve Bannon has warned that he is going to prison if Republicans lose control of Congress and the presidency amid a string of bad polls for the MAGA movement.
Bannon made the startling prediction while looking forward to the first major political test of President Trump’s second stint in the White House, the 2026 midterms, at a Conservative Partnership Academy conference in November.
Polls have shown for some time that Republicans face an uphill battle to retain their control of the House at the election, with YouGov detailing a lengthening six-point lead for the Democrats amid strong negative headwinds from the executive – with Trump’s net unfavorability widening from zero to around minus 12 percent since winning the general.
Fearing a legal ‘witch hunt’ from the opposition, if these polls translate into an electoral victory for Democrats, Bannon swore ‘as God is my witness’ that many at the conference ‘are going to prison, myself included’.
Steve Bannon has previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges after creating a crowdfunder to build a border wall (Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images)
Some online saw this as an admission of guilt, which one X user summarized with the sentiment: “If you have to win an election to avoid ending up in prison, you’re not one of the good guys.”
However, those on the right saw Bannon’s words as a statement of the obvious, with legal warfare becoming normalized within American politics. “It proves that the winners will prosecute for political reasons,” another user replied.
‘Lawfare’ has indeed become a major part of politics in recent years, which Trump has decried since his first term in office and consequent investigation over the January 6 riots to prevent the certification of the 2020 election as a ‘witch hunt’.
But in his first year back in the Oval Office, President Trump has in turn deployed the Attorney General and an army of lawyers to pursue those who tried to prosecute him after he left office.
Steve Bannon has been a political fixer for Trump since before the 2016 election (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
This includes New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted Trump over a civil fraud matter in 2022. In turn, she has faced the threat of fraud charges herself since the president assumed office, which were thrown out by both a judge and a federal grand jury in recent months.
Bannon argued in his conference speech that this pattern would continue in politics, unless the right ‘counter with more action’ and ‘more urgency’. He claimed that ‘we’ve got to put aside these structural barriers and get on with it,’ in reference to the Constitution.
In a sign of how the arch MAGA strategist views these elections as life-or-death for the movement, Bannon also called for a ‘maximalist strategy’ with Republican operatives taking the opportunity to ‘seize the institutions’, meaning the three arms of government – the democratically elected House of Representatives, Senate and the Executive.
“If we don’t do that now we’re going to lose this chance forever,” the far right guru told the crowd, with Bannon telling the crowd they had one-shot to keep MAGA in power ‘because you’re never going to have another Trump’.
Trump brags about ‘acing’ his third straight cognitive exam amid concerns about his health
Trump said he believes the tests should be ‘mandatory’
Donald Trump has once again weighed in on the conversation surrounding his health, as he claimed doctors had said he just ‘aced’ his third cognitive exam despite having already made the same claim several weeks ago.
Taking to social media on January 2, the president wrote on Truth Social: “The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ and that I ‘ACED’ (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take.”
“P.S.,” he added, “I strongly believe that anyone running for President, or Vice President, should be mandatorily forced to take a strong, meaningful, and proven Cognitive Examination. Our great Country cannot be run by ‘STUPID’ or INCOMPETENT PEOPLE! President DJT.”
The latest declaration isn’t the first time Trump has made claims about sailing through his cognitive exams, with the president himself already boasting about ‘acing’ his latest exam on December 9.
Trump once again brought up his own health status on Truth Social (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
This had led critics to raise doubts over whether he had undergone a fourth exam and lost count, or if he was referring to the previous exam again.
In his previous December 9 post, Trump wrote about his accomplishments since returning to office, boasting, “There has never been a President that has worked as hard as me!”
He also claimed he had received ‘PERFECT Marks’ on the ‘long, thorough and very boring Medical Examinations’ that he had undergone at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
“In addition to the Medical,” Trump continued. “I have done something that no other President has done, on three separate occasions, the last one being recently, by taking what is known as a Cognitive Examination, something which few people would be able to do very well, including those working at The New York Times, and I ACED all three of them in front of large numbers of doctors and experts, most of whom I do not know.
“I have been told that few people have been able to ‘ace’ this Examination and, in fact, most do very poorly, which is why many other Presidents have decided not to take it at all,” he added.
What is a cognitive exam?
A cognitive exam checks for problems with your mental functioning and involves answering basic questions and performing simple tasks.
It typically assesses a person’s attention and decision-making skills, judgment, language, learning, reasoning, thinking, understanding and remembering.
Trump has repeatedly claimed he has ‘aced’ his exams (Doug Mills – Pool/Getty Images)
What are the most common types of tests?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are multiple types of cognitive exams, but typically they fall into three categories.
· A 15-minute test where you memorize a short list of words, name objects shown in pictures, and copy a drawing of a shape and other similar tasks.
· A 10-minute test that involves counting and identifying objects and other common, well-known facts.
· A three-minute test that involves memorizing and recalling a three-word list of unrelated words. You’ll also draw a picture of a common object.
Why might someone need to undertake a cognitive test?
Medical professionals often recommend the test to individuals if they suspect they may be suffering some form of cognitive decline.
This could be to assess simple things like memory issues, language difficulties, such as struggling to find the right word, or to look at reasons why things that used to be easy have suddenly become much more difficult.
Even if there isn’t any suspicion of an underlying health condition that affects cognition, anyone over the age of 65 (like the president, who is 79) will also be encouraged to take the test routinely for health monitoring.
This is due to natural changes in how your brain works as your body ages.
Donald Trump doubles down on controversial health advice as US updates vaccine schedule
The President issued new guidance to pregnant women and parents of young children as part of a US vaccine shakeup
Donald Trump has once again weighed in on the health of Americans as he dished out some unsolicited advice to pregnant women regarding their use of certain medications.
The US President, despite having no medical background, took to Truth Social to encourage pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol, as well as limiting its use in young children. He also issued instructions regarding a revised vaccine schedule in line with changes announced by the Department of Health on Monday, which would drastically cut the number of shots recommended to children.
Writing in all capital letters, he wrote: “Pregnant Women, DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON, BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!), TAKE CHICKEN P SHOT SEPARATELY, TAKE HEPATITAS B SHOT AT 12 YEARS OLD, OR OLDER, AND, IMPORTANTLY, TAKE VACCINE IN 5 SEPARATE MEDICAL VISITS! President DJT.”
The controversial advice regarding Tylenol has proved to be increasingly polarising for parents in recent months and largely stems from claims that there could be a potential link between the common drug and ADHD and autism.
The President shared the controversial advice on Monday ( Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
According to the FDA: “Evidence in recent years has suggested a correlation between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and subsequent diagnosis of conditions like autism and ADHD. Multiple large-scale cohort studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Boston Birth Cohort, find this association”
However, while a correlation was detected, there is no evidence of causation, with the FDA continuing: “It is important to note that while an association between acetaminophen and neurological conditions has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature.
“It is also noted that acetaminophen is the only over-the-counter drug approved for use to treat fevers during pregnancy, and high fevers in pregnant women can pose a risk to their children.”
Major medical and regulatory bodies, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the UK’s NHS and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), agree that there is no conclusive evidence that Tylenol (acetaminophen/paracetamol) is unsafe in pregnancy when used as directed.
It remains the recommended first-choice pain reliever and fever reducer during pregnancy.
Monday’s post is far from the first time that Trump has encouraged limiting Tylenol use, as he previously told the public to do the same back in September, a move which prompted serious alarm among many health experts.
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Tylenol has come under fire over claims it may have links to Autism and ADHD (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Trump told America that the FDA is supposedly advising that pregnant women ‘limit Tylenol use’ and suggested that the drug is responsible for the ‘meteoric rise’ in cases of autism – something the medication brand has denied.
He alleged that there was once just one in 10,000 children with autism, but this figure has since risen drastically to one in 31 kids.
“There are certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills, that have no autism,” the president further claimed.
While the FDA did still allow for Tylenol use as needed and encouraged parents to make their own informed decisions, Trump encouraged scrapping it altogether.
“Ideally, you don’t take it at all, but if you have to, if you can’t tough it out, if there’s a problem, you’re going to end up doing it,” said the 79-year-old.
The Tylenol warning also came amid an announcement about a new revised vaccine schedule, that would see the US move more in line with Europe regarding routing dosing schedules for under 18s.
According to the CDC, the new recommendation for all children will include vaccines for: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox). The first three are routinely given as one vaccine.
A second category of vaccines was recommended for children depending on their individual risk factors. Those include vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, and meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B – which protects against meningitis.
The third group of vaccines for Covid-19, influenza, and rotavirus has been left to parents and doctors to decide.
Donald Trump hints at worrying ‘next move’ after capturing Venezuelan president
The US president hinted at possible action against another Latin American nation much closer to home
Donald Trump has hinted at what could potentially be a worrying ‘next move’ for one of the US’ closest neighbours, just hours after revealing he had captured and detained Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro.
The capital city of Venezuela, Caracas, was struck in the early hours of Saturday by the US military, with Trump reporting on Truth Social a short while later that President Maduro had been captured and taken out of the country, along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
In the absence of leadership, Trump also revealed that the United States would be assuming control over the Latin American nation until a stable government could be established.
He told a press conference: “We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” he said in a press conference.
Yet it appears it isn’t just Venezuela that the president has his eyes set on, as in an interview following the military action, he hinted at possible action in Mexico, too.
During a Saturday appearance on Fox & Friends on the Fox News network, presenter Griff Jenkins quizzed whether the operation was a ‘message’ to Mexico’s leader, Claudia Sheinbaum.
Trump announced the capture of Maduro on Saturday (Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Trump then responded: “Well, it wasn’t meant to be, and we’re very friendly with her and she’s a good woman but the cartels are running Mexico. She’s not running Mexico.
“We could be politically correct and be nice and say, ‘Oh, yes, she is.’ No no. She’s very frightened of the cartels. They’re running Mexico. And I’ve asked her number times, ‘Would you like us to take out the cartels?'”
Trump then began to talk about drugs being trafficked into the US via its southern neighbour before adding: “Something is gonna have to be done with Mexico.”
This narrative is very similar to the one Trump used against Maduro before taking action against Venezuela, with the president taking aim at Maduro for months over claims that his regime was allowing drugs from Venezuela to flood the US.
In reality, the vast majority of drugs have come in via the Mexican border, with the US Government Accountability Office citing this as the main source of fentanyl behind increasing drug overdose deaths.
The office said: “Much of this narcotic is being trafficked into the United States from Mexico, according to federal law enforcement.
“As part of efforts to combat trafficking, the Department of Homeland Security is targeting not just fentanyl itself, but also the chemicals and equipment used to make it that are largely coming from China.”
Yet while tackling the US drug problem is a huge issue, so too is preserving international sovereignty and respecting international law.
This means that drastic action, such as the one taken by Trump today to oust Maduro, could be seen as illegal and particularly troubling among many countries around the globe.