Here We Go Again: Democrat Launches Trump Impeachment Attempt

Just over two weeks after President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a Democratic congressman has officially initiated an impeachment campaign against him, setting the stage for what could be another contentious battle in Congress. Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, took to the House floor on Wednesday to announce his latest effort to remove Trump from office, declaring,

“The movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring Articles of Impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.”

Green’s call for impeachment comes in response to President Trump’s recent announcement regarding the United States taking full ownership of the Gaza Strip. According to Trump’s proposed plan, the U.S. government would assume control of the land, resettle nearly 2 million Palestinians in other countries, and develop the land for American use.

The announcement has sparked international outrage and accusations of ethnic cleansing, with critics warning that such a move could violate international law and destabilize the region even further. Green, an outspoken critic of Trump, condemned the president’s plan, stating, “To whom it may concern, ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not a joke, especially when it emanates from the president of the United States — the most powerful person in the world.”

The Texas congressman’s impeachment push is not without precedent. During Trump’s first term in office, Green introduced three separate efforts to impeach the president. However, his earlier campaigns were largely dismissed by party leadership, with Democratic leaders at the time attempting to maintain a strategic focus on the legislative agenda rather than engage in what some saw as a premature impeachment process.

Green’s persistence in calling for Trump’s removal led to accusations that he was running a “rogue campaign” against the wishes of his own party, an argument that Republicans eagerly seized upon to discredit any impeachment efforts as partisan theatrics.

Despite internal resistance, Green’s efforts played a role in shaping the broader conversation about Trump’s conduct in office. His repeated calls for impeachment helped lay the groundwork for what would become two historic impeachments of Trump, making him the first president in American history to be impeached twice.

Trump’s first impeachment, which occurred in December 2019, was the result of an investigation into a phone call he made to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the call, Trump allegedly pressured Zelenskyy to investigate then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in exchange for releasing military aid to Ukraine.

House Democrats argued that this constituted an abuse of power, accusing Trump of using his office to solicit foreign interference in a U.S. election. The House of Representatives ultimately voted to impeach Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. However, in early 2020, the Republican-controlled Senate voted largely along party lines to acquit Trump, allowing him to remain in office.

Trump’s second impeachment came just over a year later in the wake of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. After a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, House Democrats quickly moved to charge Trump with “incitement of insurrection.” This time, the impeachment process moved at a historic pace, with the House voting to impeach Trump just days before he left office.

Unlike the first impeachment, several Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, publicly criticized Trump’s actions. However, when the impeachment trial reached the Senate, the former president was once again acquitted, as the required two-thirds majority to convict him was not reached.