The Midterm elections, a threat to Trump’s bureaucracy
By: Riley Duignan
On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the U.S. will hold its midterm elections, possibly leading to the impeachment of Donald Trump.
Midterm elections occur every 2 years (halfway into the president’s term) to re-elect much of Congress. It is to re-elect the House of Representatives again, as well as one-third of the Senate (each senator serves 6 years, ⅓ of the total Senate electees are ending their 6-year term during midterms). As of 2026, the House of Representatives is controlled by the republican party, with a 220-215 majority, as well as the Senate, with a 53-47 majority. Mid-Term elections give voters an opportunity throughout a 4-year term of a president to change and decide who controls the House.
Why is this “threatening” to Donald Trump?
Though many of the Democrats within the House and Congress itself have stated that impeachment is not necessarily a top priority, it is highly possible that if democrats take over the House, efforts to impeach the president may be pursued. reasons democrats may push for impeachment would include War Power violations, Authoritarianism, corruption, and threatening constitutional order.
On February 28, 2026, Trump launched missiles and began military action against Iran, also partnering with Israel’s attempt to bomb Iran. He initiated this war without proper congressional approval, as stated in H.Res.537. Trump’s explanation behind the attack on Iran was to destroy and protect from any nuclear weapons or threat by Iran that the U.S. may face. The issue with that is that though Iran has the capability to begin making a nuclear weapon, there is no evidence that backs up the president’s claims of a nuclear threat by Iran. IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) reported that facilities important to Iranian Nuclear infrastructure, like the Heavy Water Production Plant in Khondab (which is no longer operational) contained no declared nuclear material.
Human rights organizations as well as the Center for American Progress, have called out Trump’s ongoing authoritarian practices in his second term. For example, Trump has been accused of using the DOJ to target political opponents, as well as investigators involved in investigations against Trump according to PBS. As well as attempting to pass a law that would end birthright citizenship for children of immigrants (which in turn violates the 14th Amendment). But it goes further with him violating the checks and balances law of required congressional approval for things like declaration of war, military action, federal spending budget, and ratifying treaties (specifically when Trump used the IEEPA to pass sweeping tariffs without congressional approval, according to democracyforward.org)
Is it possible for Trump to stop the midterms?
Legally and constitutionally, it is not possible for Trump to cancel the midterms, as it interrupts processes of proper checks and balances and the lack of political bias. But some believe that Trump wants to cancel the midterm elections. In an interview with Reuters, Donald Trump states, “When you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election,” in the context of the success of Republicans. Karoline Leavitt later defended President Trump by saying he was only joking. (cnn.com). Some believe that his declaration of war in Iran was not only unsolicited, but a strategic way to delay/stop mid-term elections, though this is highly unlikely, as midterms are not legally able to be delayed or canceled; Historically, midterm elections have continued through several wars.
Overall, Midterm elections are highly important to the representation of American majorities and balancing executive power, and endangering this right would be a violation of the voice of the American people.
Sources
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/537
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dems-already-starting-prep-top-151402423.html
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/26/iran-nuclear-weapon-war-develop-one-now?hl=en-US#:~:text=US%20intelligence%20chiefs%20and%20UN,a%20covert%20scheme%20was%20exposed
https://www.ans.org/news/article-7911/iaea-provides-updates-on-iran-nuclear-facilities/?hl=en-US#:~:text=Iran%27s%20heavy%20water%20production%20plant,IAEA%20analysis%20of%20satellite%20imagery
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/with-action-against-powell-and-the-fed-trumps-list-of-targeted-opponents-grows-longer
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/17/politics/midterm-elections-trump-2026-analysis