US midterms: Does Trump now face impeachment 3.0?

President Trump is at risk of being impeached after Republican defeat in the US midterm elections, according to a US politics expert at LJMU.

“Call it a wave, a tsunami, or a deluge, this was a decisive rebuke of President Trump and the Republican Party's policies,” said Dr Kate Ballantyne, of the School of Humanities and Social Science, who now expects Congress to vote to impeach Trump for a third time.

Republicans lost a hatful of seats in Congress which turned 54-44 Blue and also resoundingly lost the Senate, leaving the President severely diminished for the remainder of his time in office. Dr Ballantyne put it down to both unpopular policies and an unpopular President.

Failed redistricting

“Voters cast their ballots yesterday resoundingly against the war in Iran, Trump's tariffs, and the cost of living crisis in particular. Trump urged voters to vote like he was on the ballot, and they did.

“While the party in power has gained Congressional seats in only three midterm elections since the Civil War ended in 1865, Republicans had stacked the decks in their favour with redistricting efforts across the country.

“Despite this, Democrats faced off against Republicans in several toss-up elections and won all round.”

So what happens next?

“I think we’ll see greater checks on Trump's war in Iran, funding for domestic and international efforts, and charges of criminality for many individuals now in power. I would also expect that Congress will vote to impeach Trump for a third time.”

Kate Ballantyne specialises in US activism, free speech, the US South, the long Black freedom struggle, and 1960s social movements. Her first book, Radical Volunteers: Dissent, Desegregation, and Student Power in Tennessee, was published with UGA Press in 2024. She is a graduate of Cambridge and the University of South Carolina.

IMAGE: James Talarico was elected to represent Texas in the US Senate.