Trump under pressure: Will the US president face impeachment for the third time?

In the US, members of the Democratic Party have started preparing impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.

RBC-Ukraine explains how the impeachment process works and under what conditions it is possible.

Main points:

• Why is there talk of a third impeachment for Trump in the US?

• When and under what conditions could this happen?

• What does the prospect of impeachment mean for Trump and his team?

Although US President Donald Trump has been in office for just over 100 days, some politicians from the Democratic Party in the United States have begun suggesting the idea of impeaching him.

On April 28, House member Shri Thanedar presented seven charges that could serve as grounds for impeachment against the president. The congressman stated that Trump is unfit to perform his duties as president and “poses an obvious and real danger to the constitution of our country and our democracy.”

Thanedar accuses the US president of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, usurpation of power, bribery, and corruption.

New initiatives regarding impeachment are expected in the near future. In particular, this was stated by Democratic Congressmen Ilhan Omar and Al Green.

What is the impeachment procedure?

Impeachment begins in the House of Representatives, where any member can propose a relevant resolution. After reviewing the case, the House must vote for impeachment by a simple majority. After that, the case is sent to the Senate, which acts as a court, with senators serving as jurors.

In practice, this means that the impeachment process can only be initiated if the Democratic Party wins the elections to the House of Representatives in November 2026.

Democrats would realistically be able to start the procedure in 2027, after new congressmembers take office. The vote for impeachment against Trump could be initiated based on any accusations against him. However, this does not guarantee the removal of the US president from office, as support from two-thirds of the Senate is required for that.

The likelihood that the Democrats will have such a majority in the Senate in 2027 is currently low. Thus, the Senate is most likely to acquit Trump, and the impeachment will not be completed. In the end, a similar scenario already occurred during Trump’s first term. He was impeached in 2019 and 2021 on different charges, but the Senate acquitted the US president both times.

The prospect of impeachment as a stimulus

At the same time, according to Axios, Trump’s advisors take the threat of impeachment seriously. Even if the process ultimately fails, it could cause unnecessary trouble for the US president’s team and distract from other matters.

One of the side effects of this is Trump’s desire to implement as many planned changes in the country as possible during 2025-2026 — before the midterm elections in Congress, where Republicans may lose their majority.

The article was based on statements by American politicians, the US Constitution, and publications from Axios and CNN.

Roman Kot

Ukraine Front Lines