In the U.S., a president can be impeached even if they haven’t committed a crime—just saying something shocking can be enough to start the process. Now, Donald Trump is facing another impeachment effort because of his comments about Gaza. Texas Democratic Representative Al Green has filed impeachment articles, saying Trump’s words “will live in infamy.” Now, everyone is asking: What happens next? And does this even have a chance?
It all started during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump casually suggested that the U.S. should “take over” Gaza and turn it into a fancy beach resort, calling it the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Because, of course, when people think of a war-torn region, their first thought is luxury hotels and casinos. He didn’t explain how this takeover would work or where the 1.8 million Palestinians living there would go. But, as usual, details were not his priority. People were furious. Critics accused him of supporting ethnic cleansing, and others worried that his words could mess up ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.
Al Green says Trump’s words are dangerous enough to deserve impeachment. According to the U.S. Constitution, a president can be impeached for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Green argues that saying something outrageous should be enough. If that were true, Trump would have been impeached a hundred times already.
Impeachment follows a process. First, someone files impeachment articles—like Green just did. Then, the House Judiciary Committee decides whether to move forward. If they do, the House of Representatives votes. If the majority says yes, Trump gets impeached. But that’s just the beginning. After that, the Senate holds a trial. To remove him from office, two-thirds of the Senate has to agree. Trump has already been impeached twice but survived both times. And since Republicans now control the House and Senate, this one is likely going nowhere, too.
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Presidential impeachments are rare, but they do happen. In 1868, Andrew Johnson was impeached for firing his Secretary of War without permission. In 1998, Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Trump, of course, holds the record—impeached in 2019 for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and again in 2021 for allegedly inciting the January 6 riot. Every time, the Senate said no. The only president who avoided impeachment completely was Richard Nixon, who resigned before it could happen.
Trump isn’t backing down. Instead, he doubled down on his Gaza idea, saying, “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too.” A job? That’s… not very reassuring. Meanwhile, Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American, wasn’t having it. She posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Palestinians aren’t going anywhere. This president can only spew this fanatical bull*** because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing.” Even the White House had to respond. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called Trump’s “out-of-the-box idea” and said that’s why “the American people elected him.” Well, not all of them.
So, does this impeachment stand a chance? Probably not. Republicans control Congress, so Trump is safe. In fact, he might even wear this impeachment attempt like a badge of honor. The House Judiciary Committee will look at Green’s articles, but the Senate will likely reject them. And Trump? He’ll move on to the subsequent controversy—because with him, there’s always another one coming.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
