Key Points: Renewed discussions about impeaching President Trump for a third time are underway, fueled by online petitions and formal articles introduced by Rep. Shri Thanedar alleging multiple high crimes. However, this effort faces steep political hurdles.
-Thanedar’s resolution currently lacks backing from House Democratic leadership, and the Republican majority in the House makes immediate impeachment proceedings highly improbable.
-While some Democrats suggest pursuing impeachment after the 2026 midterms if they regain control, securing the two-thirds Senate majority needed for conviction remains unlikely.
-President Trump has denounced the renewed push as partisan attacks.
Time for Trump to Resign?
Petitions on change.org carry no legal force, but they do show where political passion lies.
One petition on the site, “Donald Trump, resign the Presidency,” has over 19,500 signatures. It goes back to Trump’s first term, but has continued to collect them since his return.
“Mr. Trump has demonstrated nothing but contempt for his oath of office,” the text of the petition says. “His refusal to observe ethics, his encouragement of race hatred and violence, his financial self-dealing, and so much more, all make it clear that he is unfit for office.”
Another, newer petition, called “Demand the Resignation or Impeachment of Trump and Vance,” has just 244 verified signatures.
This one, which for some reason names Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the “Decision Maker,” is specifically related to President Trump and Vice President Vance’s confrontation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office a few months ago.
“Unfortunately, this behavior isn’t an anomaly but a pattern that has led me to this point,” the petition says. “Their open support for Russia, instead of upholding the principles and values that the United States of America stands for, is nothing short of betraying our democracy.”
The Reality of Impeachment
More Democrats have been talking about impeachment in recent weeks. One House Democrat, Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI), introduced articles of impeachment at the end of April, accusing the president of seven separate high crimes.
These include Obstruction of Justice and Abuse of Executive Power, Usurpation of Appropriations Power, Abuse of Trade Powers and International Aggression, Violation of First Amendment Rights, Creation of an Unlawful Office, Bribery and Corruption, and Tyrannical Overreach.
“Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is unfit to serve as President and represents a clear and present danger to our nation’s constitution and our democracy,” Rep. Thanedar said in his introduction of the articles. “His unlawful actions have subverted the justice system, violated the separation of powers, and placed personal power and self-interest above public service. We cannot wait for more damage to be done. Congress must act.”
There are, however, various reasons to be skeptical about the effort.
Thanedar launched the impeachment campaign around the time he started facing a pair of primary challenges. Four different Congressmen, who had signed on as co-sponsors, took their names off the legislation after it was made clear that the House Democratic leadership is not on board with the impeachment push.
And of course, everyone knows that the impeachment effort, as long as Republicans remain in control of the House of Representatives, is exceedingly unlikely to move forward.
Some Democrats, including Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Rep. Mikie Sherill (D-NJ) have expresed interest in pursuing impeachment, with the caveat that it would likely have to wait until after the midterm elections, and take place in the event of a Democratic victory that puts them in charge of the House of Representatives.
Even then, however, the Democrats might not enter 2027 with a Senate majority, and almost certainly will not have the two-thirds majority required to convict and remove. So at that point, the Democrats might have to be content with a lame-duck version of Trump for the last two years of his presidency.
Trump’s Impeachment Reaction
Trump, of course, was impeached twice in his first term, although he was not convicted in the Senate either time.
In a Truth Social post, last week, he assailed the Democratic impeachment efforts.
“The Democrats are really out of control. They have lost everything, especially their minds! These Radical Left Lunatics are into the “impeachment thing’ again,” he said in the post. He also stated, somewhat falsely, that the Democrats calling for impeachment haven’t specified why they’re doing so.
“Perhaps we should start playing this game on them, and expel Democrats for the many crimes that they have committed — And these are REAL crimes,” the president said.
About the Author:
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter
