The interim congressional elections held in the USA on November 3 were marked by important results in terms of President Donald Trump's political position and the future activities of the White House. Democrats have taken control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This increases the possibility of strengthening congressional oversight of the Trump administration's activities, expanding investigations, and bringing the impeachment procedure against the president back on the agenda.
But is the Democrats' gaining a majority in Congress enough to remove Trump from the presidency (impeachment)? What opportunities does US legislation create for this, and how many congressmen's votes are needed for impeachment?
Modern.az website tried to investigate the topic.
According to the US Constitution, the president can be impeached in cases of treason, bribery, as well as other serious crimes and serious abuse of official powers.
Section 4 of Article II of the Constitution provides for the removal of the president, vice-president, and other federal officials on these grounds.
The striking point here is that a criminal court verdict is not absolutely required for impeachment. Congress can consider the president's abuse of state power or serious acts unbecoming of his office as grounds for impeachment.
How much did Democrats gain in Congress?
According to information released by the Associated Press (AP) on November 4, the Democratic Party took control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate as a result of the November 3 elections.
Before the elections, the ruling Republican Party had a majority in the House of Representatives. In these elections, the Democrats won in more than 24 districts, eliminating the advantage of their rivals.
The current results of the election are as follows:
House of Representatives – 435 seats
Democrats – 214 seats;
Republicans – 126 seats;
Senate – 100 seats
Democrats – 53 seats;
Republicans – 41 seats
But the counting of votes is still ongoing, and there is no doubt that the numbers will change in the coming hours. The numbers show that Democrats have gained a majority in both chambers of Congress, expanding their ability to control the Trump administration's legislative initiatives, state appointments, and activities.
How many votes are needed for Trump's impeachment?
In the US, the power to bring impeachment charges against the president belongs to the House of Representatives.
There are 435 deputies in the House. A simple majority of the participating deputies is required to adopt the impeachment articles.
If all 435 deputies participate in the vote, at least 218 people must vote in favor of impeachment.
In other words, if Democrats hold 218 or more seats in the House of Representatives, they can adopt the impeachment charge with the support of their party's deputies. For this, the support of Republicans may not be needed.
However, if there are deputies who do not participate in the vote, the required number of votes also changes. For example, if 300 deputies participate, 151 votes are enough.
However, the adoption of the impeachment charge does not mean Trump's immediate removal from the presidency.
The main obstacle is the Senate – 67 votes are needed
The second and more difficult stage of impeachment is carried out in the Senate.
After the House of Representatives adopts the articles of impeachment, the matter is sent to the Senate. Here, the charges brought against the president are heard, evidence is examined, and a vote is held.
According to the US Constitution, at least two-thirds of the senators present in the Senate are required to find the president guilty.
Since there are 100 seats in the Senate, if all senators participate in the vote, 67 senators' votes are needed to remove Trump from office.
The 53 seats gained by the Democrats in the Senate after the elections are not enough in this regard. They will need at least 14 Republican senators to vote in favor to secure the impeachment decision.
Therefore, the Democrats' gaining a majority in the Senate does not automatically guarantee Trump's removal from office. This requires a serious inter-party agreement and the support of a certain part of Republican senators.
Trump has been impeached twice before
Donald Trump is the first president in US history to be impeached twice.
In 2019, the House of Representatives impeached him for abusing his official powers in connection with the Ukraine issue and obstructing a congressional investigation. However, the Senate did not find him guilty.
In 2021, after the attack on the Capitol building, an impeachment decision was again adopted on charges of inciting riots.
At that time, 57 senators in the Senate voted in favor of finding Trump guilty, and 43 senators voted against. However, since 67 votes were required, he was not removed from office.
Thus, although Trump was impeached twice in the House of Representatives, in both cases the required majority of votes was not collected in the Senate.
What does the Democrats' victory change for Trump?
The Democrats' gaining a majority in both chambers of Congress can create a number of political and legal consequences for the Trump administration.
First of all, Democrats can initiate parliamentary investigations into the activities of the presidential administration, demand documents from state institutions, call officials to hearings, and investigate possible violations of the law.
In addition, the change of majority in the Senate will also affect the situation regarding personnel appointments and legislative initiatives during the remainder of Trump's term.
The AP report also emphasizes that the Democrats' gaining a majority in Congress will seriously affect the White House's activities in the last two years of Trump's presidency. They will have the opportunity to block the president's legislative agenda, reject his appointments, and investigate the administration's activities.
However, the victory in the elections is not a legal basis for impeachment in itself. Democrats must bring specific charges against the president and link them to the grounds provided in the Constitution.
When can the impeachment process begin?
The impact of the election results on the composition of the new Congress does not happen immediately. According to the US Constitution and the rules of procedure of Congress, the new Congress will begin its activities on January 3, 2027.
From this date, Democrats will be able to use their new majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, the current Congress also has the right to make certain decisions until its term of office expires.
Consequently, the November 3 elections mark the beginning of a new stage in the relations between the Trump administration and Congress. Democrats may have the majority of votes needed to initiate the impeachment procedure. However, to remove the president from office, 67 votes must be collected in the Senate, that is, the support of a significant part of Republican senators will be needed.
According to the US Constitution, if the president is removed from office as a result of the impeachment process, the powers of the head of state automatically pass to the vice-president.
If such a scenario materializes during Donald Trump's presidency, his powers will pass to Vice President James David Vance.
It should be noted that Donald Trump's current presidential term will end on January 20, 2029.
According to the US Constitution, Donald Trump, who has been elected president twice, cannot run again in the next elections in 2028 and must officially leave his post at the end of this term.
A.Gafarli
