Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats should not go into President Donald Trump’s second term looking to impeach him again, arguing in a recent podcast interview that the move would require clear cause based on his conduct in office.
In a recent interview on USA Today’s podcast "The Excerpt" with Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) discussed whether Democrats should pursue another impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Pelosi, who presided over the House during Trump’s two impeachments in 2019 and 2020, said Democrats then had solid reasons to move ahead and that she does not currently see an obvious basis to seek impeachment during his second term, according to the Daily Wire’s account of the interview.
Page asked Pelosi whether she would support a third impeachment effort if Democrats were to regain control of the House after the 2026 midterm elections. Pelosi, who has said she will not seek reelection in 2026, replied firmly.
"No, I mean unless he — if he crosses the border again. But that’s not an incidental thing you say — ‘We’re going to do that.’ No, there has to be cause," Pelosi said on the podcast. "There has to be reason."
She emphasized the seriousness of impeachment, adding, "We had review. This was a very serious historic thing. And our founders knew that there could be a rogue president. And that’s why they put impeachment in the Constitution."
Pelosi also criticized Senate Republicans for refusing to convict Trump in either of the previous impeachment trials. "[The founders] didn’t know there’d be a rogue president at the same time a rogue Senate that didn’t have the courage to do the right thing. It was bipartisan in the Senate, but it wasn’t enough," she said.
Her comments underscore ongoing partisan divisions over how Congress should hold presidents accountable and how Democrats should approach the question of impeachment during Trump’s current term.
