Trump reportedly views impeachment as a political winner, résumé blemish


In a call with House Republicans on Friday, President Trump portrayed the House impeachment inquiry as a mixed bag, predicting it will "make Kevin speaker" — give Republicans control of the House after the 2020 election, elevating House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — but acknowledging that being impeached is a "bad thing to have on your résumé," Axios reported Sunday.
People who have spoken to Trump in recent days disagreed on whether Trump believes he will be impeached, Axios says, with one source saying Trump thinks he can pressure vulnerable Democrats into voting against articles of impeachment, but most advisers are warning him that impeachment is imminent and Senate Republicans will keep him from being convicted and removed. Trump's comments to House Republicans "perfectly encapsulate how Trump feels about it," Axios reports: "He believes it could help him get re-elected and win back the House. But he doesn't want the history books recording Donald Trump as an impeached president."
Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney is genuinely bullish on the political upside of impeachment, predicting numerous times that Trump will win a 45-state landslide in 2020 after the Senate acquits him, Axios' Jonathan Swan reports, citing three sources. Mulvaney's landslide prediction "is far from a consensus in Trump's orbit," and polling doesn't support it, Swan says, "but his voice is one that the president hears every day and could bolster how Trump views the political dynamics of impeachment."
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.
Meanwhile, the "torrent of impeachment developments has triggered a reckoning in the Republican Party," The Washington Post reports, "paralyzing many of its officeholders as they weigh their political futures, legacies and, ultimately, their allegiance to a president who has held them captive" and "whose orders are often confusing and contradictory." Read more about how congressional Republicans are trying to survive impeachment at The Washington Post.
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.
-
5 inexcusably hilarious cartoons about Ghislaine Maxwell angling for a pardon
Cartoons Artists take on the circle of life, Ghislaine's Island, and more
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Crossword: August 2, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein