President Donald Trump could face the first impeachment vote of his second term after Michigan Democrat Shri Thanedar introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives.
The resolution outlines seven articles of impeachment, accusing Trump of abuse of power, bribery, corruption, and “tyranny.” Under House rules, the resolution must be brought to a vote before Thursday.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term. The first impeachment, in 2018, was related to his dealings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The second came after the January 6 Capitol riot. In both cases, the Senate acquitted him.
Thanedar, 70, announced his resolution on April 29. “When Trump ignores the Constitution, Congress, and the courts, he is not ‘fighting for America.’ He is tearing it down and endangering our democracy,” he said.
The resolution is not expected to pass, as Republicans currently control the House. Several Democrats have also criticized Thanedar’s move. One unnamed Democratic lawmaker told Axios:
“This is the dumbest f*ing thing. Utterly selfish behavior,” while another called it “a waste of fing time.”
Trump responded to the resolution during a rally in Michigan, part of his first major overseas trip to the Middle East.
“Some guy that I’ve never heard of… is he a congressman? This guy said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to start the impeachment of Donald Trump,’” Trump said. “What the hell did I do? Here we go again.”
Thanedar denied that the resolution is politically motivated or aimed at boosting his profile ahead of a possible primary challenge from Democratic state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who has been endorsed by Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
“Mr. Trump has conducted unconstitutional activities,” Thanedar said. “He has conducted impeachable actions, and I have to do my constitutional duty.”
He added that he had not consulted Democratic leadership before filing the resolution. “It’s too early – 15 months. I’m not worried about that. It’s not about elections… it’s about doing the right thing.”
The situation mirrors past efforts by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who filed articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden multiple times during his first term. Her efforts focused on issues like border security and the withdrawal from Afghanistan but were not successful.
On Tuesday night, Greene criticised Thanedar on X, accusing him of abusing and killing beagle dogs. Thanedar denied the accusation and said Greene may have confused him with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who admitted in her 2024 memoir to shooting her dog, an incident that received widespread criticism.