Will Trump Be Impeached During His Current Term

U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, filed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump for the eighth time, accusing him of operating ICE and Customs and Border Protection as "vicious, quota-driven, unaccountable paramilitary police forces." Green also sent Trump a letter citing deaths of people killed by immigration agents during his second term, including Houstonian Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, calling the matter one of "life and death" rather than partisan politics.

A White House spokesperson dismissed the effort as "garbage" contributing to rising assaults on law enforcement, crediting Trump's immigration policies with reducing violent crime. Green's previous seven impeachment attempts have all failed, with his closest vote, in December over Trump's remarks about executing lawmakers, losing 237-140. Green acknowledged long odds but said the resolution registers formal disapproval. He lost his primary for Texas' redrawn 18th District and will leave Congress in January after 21 years representing the state's 9th District.

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said during a debate against Republican challenger Rep. Mike Collins that President Trump's conduct already meets the threshold for impeachment, should Democrats win a House majority in November. Asked at the Atlanta Press Club-hosted debate whether he would support impeachment efforts and vote to convict, Ossoff said the president's "misconduct, abuse of power, and corruption already exceed any prior standard for impeachment," adding he would consider any articles of impeachment "on the merits as a juror in the Senate" if the House sends them.

Ossoff voted for Trump's second impeachment but was not in Congress during the first. Impeachment requires a House majority and a two-thirds Senate vote, both currently controlled by Republicans. The Georgia Senate race is seen as pivotal to control of the chamber in the second half of Trump's term, with polling showing Ossoff ahead of Collins less than a month before election day.

President Trump used the Republican Party's first-ever midterm convention in Dallas to urge voters to treat November's elections as a referendum on him, telling supporters to "pretend that I'm on the ballot." The pitch is meant to replicate the turnout that fueled his 2016 and 2024 wins, but interviews with attendees revealed unease among some loyalists, who questioned whether a president struggling with low approval ratings amid inflation concerns and the Iran war is the party's strongest messenger in competitive districts.

Trump's overall approval has fallen to 33%, with independents showing a sharp decline in support. Several vulnerable GOP candidates skipped the convention entirely. Trump promised a $5,000 "Trump dividend" if Republicans keep Congress, without detailing funding. Despite the risks, most Republicans interviewed still backed centering the campaign on Trump, betting his base-mobilizing power outweighs broader unpopularity, while Democrats hope to make the midterms a referendum on his economic and foreign policy record.

The U.S. House voted 232-147 on Tuesday to table an impeachment resolution from Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, marking the eighth unsuccessful attempt by the congressman to remove President Donald Trump from office. Green's resolution, introduced last month, cited Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown, which Green said has led to the deaths of several U.S. residents, including Houstonian Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, killed by federal immigration agents in Magnolia Park in July.

Green acknowledged the effort's slim odds but framed it as a moral obligation, arguing the Constitution has no "wait clause." His previous impeachment attempts, over issues ranging from Trump's remarks to U.S. strikes in Iran, met similar fates. Green, who lost his Democratic primary to Rep. Christian Menefee after Texas redrew congressional maps in 2025, will leave Congress in January after 21 years representing the 9th District.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin filed suit Oct. 9 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to block taxpayer-funded advertisements promoting President Trump, arguing they illegally use public money to benefit Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms. The suit alleges violations of a law Trump signed this year barring appropriated funds for "publicity or propaganda," as well as the Hatch Act. It follows a similar complaint from the Democratic National Committee days earlier.

The ads, which cost $20 million drawn from Homeland Security funds tied to Customs and Border Protection appropriations, drew bipartisan criticism, particularly one resembling Trump's 2024 campaign spot. The White House has defended them as public service announcements. Trump said on Truth Social he would personally fund future ads through his MAGA Inc. super-PAC, though officials clarified that would not cover ads already aired. A separate government-funded ad touting the removal of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro aired Oct. 6.

The Gellert Global Group, a New Jersey-based importer of Canadian cheese, has filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade challenging President Trump's use of Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods. The dormant, Depression-era statute had never before been used in a trade dispute. Trump invoked it in August over alleged Canadian discrimination against U.S. dairy, auto, and alcohol exports, triggering retaliatory tariffs from Ottawa and a later outright ban on nearly $1 billion in Canadian products. The Liberty Justice Center, representing Gellert, argues newer trade laws superseded this authority, following its earlier Supreme Court win against other Trump tariffs. The White House says it will vigorously defend the measure.

CNN, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) and Politico filed a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration after their reporters' White House press credentials were disabled over the weekend, calling the move an illegal "viewpoint discrimination" violating the First Amendment. Trump had announced he was barring the outlets over coverage he called "fake news," and reporters from all three organizations were turned away and had their badges deactivated on Saturday.

CNN was also removed from its rotating pool duties covering the president, and the broader TV pool said no replacement would cover presidential events in its place. The White House countered that access is "a privilege, not a right," while Vice President JD Vance called the outlets' coverage "far-left propaganda" and said the ban did not restrict their ability to report. Trump defended the move on Truth Social as targeting "fake news" rather than a free press he claims to "cherish." The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, follows similar litigation by the Associated Press over prior access restrictions. Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson is so far the only Republican lawmaker to publicly criticize the ban, though Mediaite reports others privately call it problematic.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed the state's 100th lawsuit against the federal government since President Trump began his second term, reaching that milestone in just 21 months compared to 123 suits over four years during the first Trump administration. The latest suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges ICE has continued arresting people at state courthouses despite a judicial order barring the practice.

State officials cite data showing ICE detained 34 people at courthouses in June and 28 in July, after the court order took effect. California's Justice Department argues the enforcement activity has a "chilling effect," deterring victims, witnesses, and suspects from appearing in court. California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero has also warned the practice undermines the administration of justice. In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law requiring federal agents to show a judicial warrant and identify themselves before making arrests within 1,000 feet of state courthouses.

President Trump's campaign rally at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio drew competing demonstrations on Wednesday, as the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and the Bexar County Democratic Party staged separate but overlapping protests near the venue's entrance. The PSL focused on opposition to ICE enforcement, framing its protest around the impact of deportations on the heavily Hispanic city, while Bexar County Democrats promoted their demonstration as a rebuke of Trump's presidency and highlighted Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. Members of the Brown Berets, the 50501 organization, and PETA also joined the protest activity.

Several hundred protesters gathered along Houston Street, while thousands of rally attendees lined up to enter, with overflow crowds watching via jumbotron after the venue reached capacity. Law enforcement, including the Secret Service, closed streets ahead of the president's motorcade arrival. The protests and rally crowds remained physically separated and the event proceeded without major incident, as Trump's team seeks to boost Republican turnout in Texas ahead of upcoming elections.