U.S. President Donald Trump walks to speak at a Small Business Summit in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 4, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
President Donald Trump is in freefall and, if his Truth Social posts are any indication, in six months he will know what Americans really think of his second term. That could ultimately mean a premature end to his second presidential stint, turning him into a "lame duck."
Former BBC World News America host Laura Trevelyan wrote for The iPaper on Tuesday that few things in the world are certain, but one of those is that Trump will spend part of his day rage-posting on social media.
"Republicans control both right now, but things aren’t looking good for the President’s party," explained Trevelyan.
She noted that if Republicans are panicking, they're doing so quietly lest they "infuriate the president and could lead to a primary challenge or ritual humiliation on Truth Social – or worse."
The 2026 midterm election stats aren't great for Republicans in a historical context, but this year is proving even worse.
"What’s at stake is arguably the very future of the presidency, the difference between a lame duck quacking his way towards January 2029 or a newly empowered Trump who once again defies the odds and pulls victory from the jaws of defeat," said Trevelyan.
Trump has made it clear that he knows the stakes. Speaking to Republicans in January, he said, "You gotta win the midterms 'cause, if we don't win the midterms, it's just gonna be — I mean, they'll find a reason to impeach me," Reuters reported.
Trevelyan said that "oversight" is likely one of many challenges Trump will face under Democratic control.
Thus far, "with very few exceptions," she wrote that "Republicans in Congress have largely rolled over and looked the other way since he returned to the Oval Office in January 2025, allowing the mercurial President to have his way on everything from tariffs to war powers."
Under a Democratic Congress, hearings will likely force testimony from all involved in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation to uncover what was and wasn't made public and why. Trevelyan noted that she expects the House to call Trump's family to testify about their crypto ventures. Jared Kushner could be called to answer questions about whether he was raising money for his hedge fund while also negotiating peace agreements for the U.S. Democrats could also sort through the specifics of all the private donations Trump has received for his ballroom. Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. could be grilled over some of his more controversial opinions and how he's turned them into public policy.
While impeachment is on the table, Trevelyan said that Democrats could focus on administration-wide corruption that would go beyond a campaign talking point and could later result in Justice Department investigations after the Trump administration.
"For Democrats, more effective than thinking about impeachment 3.0 would be pushing for effective oversight of the executive branch," said Trevelyan.
That could then set Democrats up for 2028.