United States President Donald Trump has warned Republican lawmakers that failure to retain control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections could expose his administration to impeachment by Democrats.
Trump issued the warning on Tuesday while addressing Republican members of Congress at a party retreat in Washington.
“You gotta win the midterms because if we don’t win the midterms, they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” the president said. “I’ll get impeached.”
He cautioned that losing congressional control would stall his legislative agenda and open the door to investigations into his administration.
Trump urged Republicans, who currently hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives, to put aside internal divisions and focus on selling the party’s policies to voters.
He advised lawmakers to campaign on Republican positions on gender issues, healthcare and election integrity, particularly as many Americans continue to grapple with high living costs.
“They say that when you win the presidency, you lose the midterm,” Trump said. “I wish you could explain to me what the hell’s going on with the mind of the public.”
The president briefly addressed inflation, blaming Democrats for the economic challenges, and encouraged Republicans to highlight gains in the US stock market.
Trump also downplayed the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, remarks that came as Democrats marked the fifth anniversary of the incident and accused Republicans of attempting to rewrite history.
Speaking for more than an hour in an unscripted address, Trump repeated several claims disputed by official records, including assertions that Washington had recorded no homicides for months.
He predicted Republicans would secure an “epic” victory in the midterms but criticised party members he said were unwilling to fully align with his agenda.
Every seat in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be contested in November 2026. No sitting US president has avoided losing House seats in the midterms since George W. Bush in 2006.
Trump also urged Republicans to counter Democratic messaging on healthcare, including efforts to extend subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and called on conservative lawmakers to show flexibility on contentious provisions such as the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortion.
The president was impeached twice during his first term but acquitted by the Senate on both occasions.
“I got impeached twice on nothing,” Trump said.
Some House Democrats have already introduced articles of impeachment against Trump during his second term, allegations the White House has denied.
Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the House, a situation Trump said limits the authority of Speaker Mike Johnson.
“You can’t be tough when you have a majority of three,” he said.
