President Donald Trump vowed a political comeback on Sunday following the Republican Party's loss of control over Congress in the midterm elections held last Tuesday. The results leave Trump politically hamstrung as he enters the final two-year "lame duck" period of his presidency.
The shift in power allows the Democrat-controlled Congress to launch multiple investigations into the president, his family, and senior administration members. On Sunday, incoming Democratic leaders appeared on political talk shows promising to hold Trump and his aides to account. In response, Trump used social media to state, "America took a giant step back in History with the results of the last Election," while noting that the stock market that had grown during his tenure took a loss after the vote. He added, "But have no fear, we will be back, BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!"
On Friday, Trump appointed Stephen Miller, a hardline advisor and architect of tough immigration policies, as his new chief of staff. This move signals a bare-knuckle fightback despite reflections from some Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, on the reasons for the election loss.
Trump said on Saturday that he is ordering the Justice Department to examine Democratic threats to impeach his administration members, which he likened to "extortion." With control of committees in both chambers, Democrats can now summon officials, demand documents, and hold public hearings. Potential subjects for these investigations include the Trump family's business and cryptocurrency dealings, government contracts involving Elon Musk, federal agency cuts, immigration enforcement, and the conduct of the Iran war.
Hakeem Jeffries, the incoming speaker of the House, told ABC on Sunday that he would support an effort to oust Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who began the war on Iran in February. Jeffries stated, "I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution," and claimed the secretary "abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran."
Trump defended Hegseth to reporters on Sunday, claiming the secretary is "guilty of two things, basically winning two wars." He referenced the January raid on Venezuela that removed Nicholas Maduro and the ongoing war in Iran, stating, "We won in Venezuela. We've taken out hundreds of billions of dollars. We won in 48 minutes. And we won in Iran." Trump added it is "just a question of closing it out now or later."
Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal lawyer for Trump, told CNN he will actively defend Trump and senior officials. Blanche said, "If they try to come after Stephen Miller...instead of actually just conducting oversight and leading, of course the Department of Justice will be there to defend him."
Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told CNN that Blanche's role is not to protect the president's cabinet. Garcia stated that the role of Congress is to hold the executive branch to account and vowed to investigate "those that are committing crimes against the American public," adding, "They can come after us however they want. We're not going to be intimidated."
