Trump apparently keeps telling advisers he will 'sue' Democrats if they impeach him


"President Trump has threatened to take legal action if Democrats try to impeach him, musing that he'll 'sue,'" reports Ashley Parker at The Washington Post. "He has peppered confidants and advisers with questions about how an impeachment inquiry might unfold," and while he's "fixated on his belief that Democrats can't impeach him because he has done nothing wrong," he's also "intrigued by the notion of impeachment but wary of its practical dangers."
Trump has publicly said he would ask the Supreme Court to intercede if Congress tries to impeach him — a notion most legal scholars say is bonkers, since impeachment is spelled out and enshrined in the Constitution, though frequent Trump ally Alan Dershowitz told the Post he could envision a case where the Supreme Court would step in. But "Trump has also griped privately that if Democrats tried to impeach him, he would simply sue," Parker reports, citing interviews with 15 White House aides, outside Trump advisers, and GOP lawmakers.
His advisers are split on the political merits of impeachment: Many outside Trump loyalists argue it's a winner and perhaps his one path to re-election, Parker reports, while a larger group warns it would be a grueling and legacy-staining ordeal. Democrats are split, too. "I think this is another one of those things where Democrats are sort of out-thinking themselves," MSNBC's Rachel Maddow told Seth Meyers on Tuesday's Late Night. "You sort of can't game out what the political impact of impeachment is going to be — that's not the kind of process impeachment is."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Impeachment may be the least of Trump's worries. If Trump hangs in until the end of his first term and loses, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) told NPR in an interview Wednesday, the Justice Department "would have no choice" but to pursue criminal obstruction of justice charges against him. "Everyone should be held accountable," she said, "and the president is not above the law."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - free trade, judicial pushback, and more
By The Week US
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushback
Cartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
By The Week US
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
El Salvador's CECOT prison becomes Washington's go-to destination
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republicans and Democrats alike are clamoring for access to the Trump administration's extrajudicial deportation camp — for very different reasons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court takes up Trump birthright appeal
Speed Read The New Jersey Attorney General said a constitutional right like birthright citizenship 'cannot be turned on or off at the whims of a single man'
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Court slams Trump, senator visits Ábrego García
Speed Read The case 'should be shocking not only to judges' but all Americans with an 'intuitive sense of liberty'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tour
Talking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Why the GOP is nervous about Ken Paxton's Senate run
Today's Big Question A MAGA-establishment battle with John Cornyn will be costly
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
UK-US trade deal: can Keir Starmer trust Donald Trump?
Today's Big Question White House insiders say an agreement is 'two weeks' away but can Britain believe it?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
A running list of Trump's second-term national security controversies
In Depth Several scandals surrounding national security have rocked the Trump administration
By Justin Klawans, The Week US