Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched another blistering attack on President Donald Trump in a new interview, branding his second administration “corrupt, incoherent, chaotic and cruel,” while stopping short — for now — of pushing Democrats toward a third impeachment if they regain control of the House.
In an interview with USA Today published Monday, Pelosi expressed confidence that Democrats will retake the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. That prediction prompted USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page to ask a question many Democrats have been openly debating: if Democrats win back the House, should impeachment of President Trump be back on the table?
Pelosi responded by unleashing a familiar litany of accusations against Trump, again claiming he “incited” an “insurrection” during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Page pressed her again, asking whether impeachment should be part of the party’s formal agenda next year.
Pelosi answered cautiously, saying impeachment should only be pursued if Trump commits a clearly egregious act. “If he crosses the border again — but that’s not an incidental thing,” Pelosi said. “You say ‘Oh, we’re gonna do that.’ No, there has to be cause. There has to be reason… this is a very serious, historic thing.”
Despite her restraint in this instance, Pelosi has extensive experience with impeaching Trump. She served as speaker during both of his impeachments in his first term. Pelosi defended those actions as necessary and justified, arguing that Trump “crossed the line” during a 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when he asked Zelensky to “look into” then–Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
“The person most responsible for impeaching President Trump when I was speaker was President Trump,” Pelosi said, maintaining that Democrats were merely responding to his conduct.
She went on to complain that impeachment is more difficult now because Trump is backed by what she described as a “rogue Senate,” suggesting that Republicans in the upper chamber would refuse to hold the president accountable regardless of evidence.
Pelosi’s remarks reflect her long-standing hostility toward Trump, which has shown little sign of easing. The 85-year-old California Democrat has repeatedly used harsh language to describe the president. Just last month, she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that she could have said “much worse” about Trump after recently calling him a “vile creature” and “the worst thing on the face of the Earth.”
While Pelosi stopped short of formally endorsing another impeachment push, her comments made clear that she remains deeply antagonistic toward Trump and open to renewed efforts if Democrats regain power and believe they have sufficient justification.
For Republicans, Pelosi’s interview serves as a reminder that impeachment remains a looming threat whenever Democrats hold the House — even as Democratic leaders insist they will only pursue it under extraordinary circumstances. Whether Pelosi’s caution reflects genuine restraint or political calculation ahead of the midterms remains an open question.
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